South West Will Once Again Prove To Be The Kingmaker In 2019, See Why

Political analysts are already outmatching one another in articles after articles, editorials after editorials, in a competition to present the Atiku campaign team with a step forward, a winning strategy that will end up with credits to the best contributor; possibly even an appointment as a Presidential Aide.


Each has a different style and approach but all without exception agree that no candidate, Buhari or Atiku, can win without SW influence. In other words, Yoruba can make or mar a candidate's march to victory.

This is significant!

In my own review it is hard for anyone not to notice what the Yorubas have systematically done in their region. In a sheer strategy of positioning for political strength against any party candidate they have thoroughly installed a unified and homogeneous political rulership in SW. All six states are under one party APC. This is dangerous for Buhari, even moreso for Atiku. Why do I say this?

SW is the only region in Nigeria histoically known to give a party a blanket victory at local and regional level but turn around and vote the opposition to victory at national level. So there is a danger to Buhari. He stepped on some toes in SW.

His lack of gratitude to Tinubu's role
The biased treatment Ife indigenes
The repeated invasion of Falae.

Yorubas are known to not frett an injustice, but wait patiently for the right time to strike and sink in their bottled up venom.

Buhari must not relax on the assurances of Tinubu to win SW, this is not 2015...he must correct his errors with Yoruba.

The biggest odd of winning the Presidency is with PDP's Atiku. Every field of consideration for him in SW is dimmed and voiceless. What this means is Atiku will need to sell himself as a Yoruba and raise appeal in SW.

In an unrelated discussion on the issue of restructuring someone with deep feet and knowledge in Nigerian history and politics told me that if Yoruba were to have a country for themselves they will end up directly impacting the political and geography of five West African countries and indirectly that of another one in the region. He shared that there is a co-joined destiny between Yoruba states and Hausa states that had its root in ancient times and that even in modernity that relationship had not been broken, to the extent Yorubas view those in the traditional Hausa states with a familiarity and acceptance not extended to anyone else. He said in Kano where he grew up there were Yorubas that had privilege above other Northerners in the native administration. For instance someone from Ibadan accorded more respect and treated muvh better than say another person from Yola or Zamfara.

That is evident here with Atiku. Where Yoruba views a person from Hausaland as an old ally, those from Adamawa had never been an ally historically, neither were they foes...our paths were just not in harmony. So for an Atiku from Adamawa to gain inroad in Yorubaland he will have to prove his Yorubaness. This is the bottomline why he must get a VP from SW and the hint is suggested uniformly by those busy analysing his next steps forward.

In whichever way it is viewed, Yoruba remain the Kingmaker in Nigeria.

By BabaRamota