By Charles Pemu 
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has strongly criticized the practice of rotational presidency in Nigeria, insisting that what the nation truly needs is competent and visionary leadership not regional power-sharing.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, August 5, Sowore dismissed the zoning arrangement, where the presidency rotates between the North and South or among geopolitical zones as outdated and counter productive.
“If I have a good President in Nigeria who can run this country effectively, I don’t care where he comes from,” Sowore said. “That is what the majority of Nigerians want. People are yearning for competent leadership that can deliver, not leaders selected based on their region.”
The Sahara Reporters publisher maintained that all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnic background or region, should be allowed to contest for the presidency as long as they have what it takes to govern effectively.
He said zoning the presidency to specific regions often leads to a scramble among elites in those areas and ignores the real issues affecting ordinary Nigerians.
“When you zone it to the North, every Northern politician wants to take a shot at it. When it comes to the South, then it becomes about Yoruba or Igbo. It’s just senseless,” he said.
According to him, zoning often results in unqualified individuals emerging as candidates simply because of their ethnic origin rather than merit.
“Zoning the presidency to the worst character in the country won’t get us anywhere,” Sowore warned. “We must give everyone a fair chance to contest. Let them come forward, present their agenda, show us their character, their competence, and let the people decide.”
Sowore’s comments come at a time when debates around power rotation and zoning are again dominating Nigeria’s political space, especially in anticipation of the 2027 general elections. However, he insisted that Nigeria’s democracy must evolve beyond tribal and regional sentiments if real progress is to be achieved.