For the sake of equity, power should remain in the Southern part of the country till 2031, a former Governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion, has said.
Igbinedion, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Administrator of the WhatsApp platform of former governors known as ‘Class of 1999’, also said he foresees prominent politicians defecting from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress(APC) and other parties staging a comeback.
He spoke with reporters after leading a team that included former Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Ikimi, on a condolence visit to ex- Chief Whip of the Senate Rowland Owie over the death of his wife, Helen.
Igbenedion, who served as governor the same time President Bola Tinubu was in charge of Lagos State, said he would support any Southern candidate nominated by the PDP.
He said: A Northerner was Nigeria’s president for eight years, between 2015 and 2023 So, in order to ensure equity, a Southerner must also be president of this country for eight years, till 2031.
“It is not ideal for Northerners to be agitating to be the president of Nigeria in 2027. They should wait till 2031, but I will support PDP’s presidential candidate from the South in 2027, who will be in office till 2031.
The former governor also said defection was not surprising to him because it is a part of the characteristics of Nigerian politicians.
READ ALSO: CBEX tragedy
He said: “Defection is the characteristic of the average Nigerian politician. I foresee the defectors coming back to the PDP or moving to another.
“There was a time when PDP had the highest number of governors in Nigeria. It is now the turn of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which will be deflated soon.’’
https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?gdpr=0&client=ca-pub-5089981496810613&output=html&h=280&slotname=9061296982&adk=383020014&adf=2659811816&pi=t.ma~as.9061296982&w=769&abgtt=6&fwrn=4&fwrnh=0&lmt=1746084092&rafmt=1&armr=3&format=769×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Figbinedion-power-should-remain-in-south-till-2031%2F&fwr=0&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&uach=WyJXaW5kb3dzIiwiMTAuMC4wIiwieDg2IiwiIiwiMTIxLjAuNjE2Ny4xNDAiLG51bGwsMCxudWxsLCI2NCIsW1siTm90IEEoQnJhbmQiLCI5OS4wLjAuMCJdLFsiR29vZ2xlIENocm9tZSIsIjEyMS4wLjYxNjcuMTQwIl0sWyJDaHJvbWl1bSIsIjEyMS4wLjYxNjcuMTQwIl1dLDBd&dt=1746084487703&bpp=1&bdt=980&idt=2384&shv=r20250428&mjsv=m202504240101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D36391d3f4b6ef843%3AT%3D1731155069%3ART%3D1746084430%3AS%3DALNI_Mbc-n0i5Skj5EckW-H2BWUNVpttSA&gpic=UID%3D00000f8470741387%3AT%3D1731155069%3ART%3D1746084430%3AS%3DALNI_MbNI2XGGk_-qYvYd8dBuEWsPwfJuw&eo_id_str=ID%3D00db88f3883baf0b%3AT%3D1731155069%3ART%3D1746084430%3AS%3DAA-AfjYs-f9maQx_Md7vjuTWTQPN&prev_fmts=0x0%2C769x280%2C769x280&nras=1&correlator=7214111382060&frm=20&pv=1&rplot=4&u_tz=-420&u_his=8&u_h=768&u_w=1366&u_ah=728&u_aw=1366&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&dmc=4&adx=133&ady=3530&biw=1349&bih=641&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=95358862%2C95358864%2C31084127%2C31092097%2C95358975%2C95359090%2C31092056%2C95359115%2C31092107&oid=2&pvsid=7802990975663146&tmod=1166378938&uas=3&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2F&fc=1920&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1366%2C0%2C1366%2C728%2C1366%2C641&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CEebr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&bz=1&td=1&tdf=0&psd=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDNd&nt=1&pgls=CAEaBTYuNS4z&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=3&fsb=1&dtd=4651
Igbinedion described the Ex-Chief Whip of the Senate as an ally whom he admired a lot, while stressing that to be marriage for 50 years was no joke.
He said: “To lose a life partner can be very saddening. We came to condole with Senator Owie, and to wish him continuous God’s strength.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
