Farouk Bibi-Farouk, a political analyst, has emphasized the significant influence of northern Nigeria in the country's politics. According to Bibi-Farouk, the northern region's consolidation into a single geopolitical zone, despite its internal differences, grants it the numerical strength to be decisive in presidential elections and none of that is down to forming a coalition.
In an interview with News Central Television, Bibi-Farouk responded to comments made by Senator Shehu Sani. Sani had suggested that recent visits by Atiku Abubakar and Nasir El Rufai to President Buhari could be politically motivated efforts to form a northern coalition. Bibi-Farouk argued that, regardless of such a coalition, the north's substantial population ensures its pivotal role in determining the outcome of presidential elections.
In his own words as seen on News Central Television this afternoon...
"The reality on ground is the north will decide who becomes president and they would do that because they have the numbers. They have been forced to be into one geopolitical zone inspite of their differences. The South however is divided into two zones and sometimes 3 zones. From the Southern perspective itself, they believe every northerner is a Mallam and at the end of the day, it's perception that drives these dynamics. So it's the South that makes the North determine Nigerian politics, you can't take that away. But it's an exaggeration to believe that in June 2024, there's already a northern coalition for the next election."
"I have never seen a coalition succeed in bringing in a president by antagonizing the current leader or by strategizing against him to prevent an eight-year tenure. Various factors will influence the outcome as the election approaches."