To be truly progressive, the APC must not just talk progressivism, it must walk progressivism.
The fact that Nigeria is a country with some 350 ethnic groups makes it
imperative that we must always be politically mindful of ethnic,
religious and regional considerations. Failure to do this on the
idealistic grounds that the quality of our public officials is more
important than their ethnic and religious origin is bound to be
problematic.
Nigerians are yet to believe, if we ever will, that the competence of a
president is more important than his ethnicity. In any case, the
background of a president is without prejudice to his ability. There is
no ethnic group in Nigeria that does not have people who can be
excellent presidents. However, if issues of federal character and
ethnic-balancing are not addressed in Nigerian politics, even the best
presidential materials will become ineffective.
The average Nigerian is not a sophisticated voter. Therefore, people
like me will continue to analyse Nigerian politics from the perspective
of the need for regional and ethnic-balancing.
Northern agenda
The APC is seen as a vehicle for Northern domination of Nigerian
politics and many people are implacably opposed to this. Although the
APC claims not to subscribe to zoning, everyone knows its 2015
presidential candidate must come from the North, otherwise the centre
will no longer hold.