Former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has dismissed the idea of rotational presidency in Nigeria, describing it as “senseless.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, the human rights activist argued that the focus should be on electing a competent leader, regardless of their region of origin.
“If I have a good president in Nigeria who can run this country very well, I don’t care where he comes from. That is what the majority of the Nigerian people are aspiring for. That is the idea of this federation that all the federating units should be able to have an opportunity,” he said.
Sowore noted that zoning often limits the choice of candidates and fuels unnecessary regional competition.
“When you zone it to the north, the majority of the northerners would want to take a shot at it. When you zone it back to the south, the south of Nigeria is not Yoruba or Igbo alone. It is just senseless,” he added.
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He insisted that all aspiring leaders should be given an equal opportunity to contest, with voters assessing them based on qualifications, manifestos, and character rather than ethnicity or geopolitical zone.
“Zoning the presidency to the worst character in the country is not going to make you get anywhere,” Sowore said.
“Give everybody a chance. That is why they said, ‘Come and contest for president, governor, local government chairman, and present your agenda, speak to us, and we will look at your character, exposure, and vote for you’.”
