Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that minority interests must not be sidelined in Nigeria’s political arrangement, regardless of shifting alliances or debates over rotational presidency.
Dogara made the remarks on Sunday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme in Abuja, where he assessed the performance of the Tinubu administration and broader issues of national governance.
According to him, while power rotation has remained a recurring subject in Nigeria’s politics, it should not be framed as being at odds with merit and competence.
“The concern will always be that if you go for rotational presidency, then the thing you are compromising may be merit and competence,” Dogara said. “But that is not true, because there is hardly any area of human endeavour where you cannot find someone from the North who is competent or someone from the South who is competent. So I think we can jettison that argument.”
The former Speaker argued that Nigeria possesses abundant human capacity across all regions, noting that leadership selection should not exclude any part of the country under the assumption of inferiority.
He also emphasised the importance of inclusive governance, saying minority groups must continue to have a voice in national decision-making, even as political realignments evolve.
Dogara acknowledged some achievements of the Tinubu administration, while maintaining that national unity would be strengthened when policies and political decisions reflect fairness, equity and broad participation.
He added that sustaining democracy in a diverse country like Nigeria requires constant engagement, dialogue and a commitment to ensuring that no group feels marginalised in the pursuit of political stability and development.
