Prof Yemi Osinbajo is Nigeria's current vice president
As Nigeria works to surmount its hydraheaded challenges from governance to insecurity and corruption, a sitting governor has proferred a possible solution.
According to Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State electing six vice-presidents will be a good idea if Nigeria is restructured in a way that each geo-political zone produces one to support the President.
He advanced the idea when he appeared on Channels TV on Monday, June 14 arguing that six VPs will quell the rising “tension” in the country.
“Well, I have a different view about this restructuring thing. My position about restructuring — for example, there are certain valid suggestions that have been made, to have six vice-presidents in the country,” he said.
“Each one is kind of coming from each of the geo-political zones. Tension will go down. This is very important.
“Now, I will recommend administrative restructuring, which is making sub-national governments to be strengthened devolving power and responsibilities to sub-national governments; abolishing the local governments,” he added.
President Muhammadu Buhari under the current constitution has one vice in the person of Prof Yemi Osinbajo. Buhari is from the North West whiles Osinbajo belongs to the South West zone.
Nigeria's geo political zones include the North East, North West, North Central, South East, South West and South South.
Current president Muhammadu Buhari belongs to the North West. His predecessor Goodluck Jonathan was from the South South.
Umaru Musah Yar'Adua whose death propelled Jonathan to the presidency was also from the North West whereas the first president with the return to multi-party democracy in 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo was from the South West.
The national assembly is currently receivimng proposals on restructuring efforts with one of the proposals being that the name of the country be changed to United African Republic.
Umahi despite being a two-time governor under the main opposition PDP umbrella, he recently dumped the party when he defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
He blamed the PDP for rising insecurity in Nigeria: “The insecurity that they used against APC is a seed that was sown in 16 years of PDP administration and so it started germinating, bearing fruit at the time they were still in power,” he said.