Ṣé o máa ṣètìlẹ́yìn fún ìyàsọ́tọ̀ ilẹ̀ (zoning) nígbà tí kò bá ṣe àǹfààní fún ọ fúnra rẹ, àti pé bí a bá yàn ọ́, ṣé o máa ṣètìlẹ́yìn fún olùdíje láti Gúúsù láti rọ́pò rẹ?

Question: Would you support zoning when it doesn’t personally benefit you and, if elected, would you support a Southern candidate to succeed you? Answer: I am not sure that there has been any politician in Nigeria who has made more sacrifice than me to protect the principle of power rotation. In the 1993 presidential election that produced the infamous June 12 crisis arising from the annulment of the presidential election, I withdrew from the race to create a path for the late Chief MKO Abiola to emerge as the candidate of our political party in that election. Similarly, in 2003, an overwhelming number of governors of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attempted to prevail on me to jettison my support for President Olusegun Obasanjo and, instead, run for president myself. I declined their offer; I believed it was contrary to the zoning principle. If I am elected president in 2027, I would raise the bar of governance in Nigeria. It will be certain that only people with credible credentials—either from the South or North—will be bold enough to present themselves to succeed me.