The Birth of The League of Northern Democrats: A Cause for Anxiety

On Tuesday 20th August, a group of eminent Northerners, headed by the former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau converged at the Shehu Yar’adua Hall in Abuja with important objectives in mind. The attendees include: Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, Sen Ibrahim Ida (Wazirin Katsina), Kabir Tafida (Sarki Fadan Sokoto), Falalu Bello, Dr. Jamilu Isyaka Gwamma (Sardauna Gombe), Malam Salihu Lukman, Amb. Usman Sarki, Prof. Usman Yusuf, Muktari Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Aminu Shehu Shagari, and Murtala Shehu Yar’Adua (Tafidan Katsina), among others. The objectives of this gathering include the resolve made by the group to advocate for good governance to foster the development of the North and to revitalize the region’s political and economic stands within the country. However, a call to action was made to the government at the federal, state, and local levels in response to the protest against bad governance. Moreover, they plan to hold a strategic summit aimed at uniting and re-establishing the North as a dominant force in Nigeria’s political landscape was agreed upon and slated for another time of about six months from now. It is important to note that as good as this gesture is believed to be, the timing of it which sequel the end of the bad governance protest, which turned violent and led to the killings of more than 20 protesters in the North, as well as the alleged secession plan championed by a group of Northerners, who are agitating for the creation of the Arewa Republic, a move that the Middle Belt Youth Forum have condemned and have disassociated themselves from, make the intentions of the conveyor of this august meeting suspicious.

Recall that there have been rumors about the North being dissatisfied with the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the grounds that it has failed to meet the expectations of the Northerners, even when it is believed that more than 60% of the votes that gave him the victory to become the President came from the North. Similarly, the birth of The League of Northern Democrats happened just a few days after a group of people who call themselves the Patriots, headed by the former Secretary General of the Common Wealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, visited the Villa to present their request to the President, prominent among which is the overhaul of the 1999 constitution, which they described as illegitimate, and its replacement with a People’s Democratic Representative Constitution, stating that because of the plurality of the country Nigeria, there is therefore the need for a constitution that will therefore address the pluralism of the country, lest it disintegrates. This request and visit met with stern reactions from prominent Northerners, including Senator Shekarau, who is the leader of the League of Northern Democrats and Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, whom the Patriots describe as their ally. All these back and forth suggest the undercurrent in relation to the establishment of the League of Northern Democrats and gives a room for suspicion and worry.

Recall that the end bad governance protest, which had a great impact in the North, was the first time that the North ever participated in any protests of social and economic nature. Going forward, the League of Northern Democrats, having indicated that their intention as being to unite all the Northern state and their people, bringing them under one umbrella, the question remains as whether that plan will easily be realized, going by the divisive factors such as the Fulani Herdsmen and Farmers clashes, religious intolerance and bigotry that have claimed the lives of thousands of Christians in Plateau and Southern Kaduna over a long period of time, and which are still prevalent, as well as the Boko Haram insurgency and banditry. The task that the League of Northern Democrats is out to champion is indeed herculean and what comes out of it will need time to tell. The reason why the North seems to be waking up at this time when the country is deeply divided with a Southern President, calls for interrogation and it is a cause for anxiety and introspection.