By Musa Bakare.
Power is sweetest when it smells of justice. In Nigeria, where diversity is both a blessing and a burden, the principle of power rotation has become more than political courtesy, it is a moral necessity. It is the fragrance that keeps the country united and the balm that soothes its fragile peace.
Kogi is a true reflection of Nigeria’s plural identity, Igala, Ebira, Okun; East, Central, and West. Each zone carries its pride, pain, and aspirations. When one group dominates power for too long, the air becomes thick with distrust. But when leadership circulates equitably, the fragrance of inclusion fills the land.
Power rotation is not a gift. It is justice, it is the democratic expression of the truth that no single region has the monopoly of wisdom or leadership. Every zone has competent men and women, ready to serve, and each deserves the chance to contribute to the state project.
For too long, the political history has been marked by imbalance. Leadership has leaned too heavily toward certain zones, leaving others to watch from the sidelines. This imbalance breeds resentment, weakens unity, and fuels dangerous narratives of exclusion.
As 2027 approaches, those states in Nigeria not embracing rotation stands before a moral test. The agitation for power rotation is not about entitlement, it is about fairness. It is a call to restore the delicate balance that gives every citizen a reason to believe in the state again.
When power rotates, people feel included. When it doesn’t, they withdraw their trust. No government can govern effectively when a section of its population feels shut out of the power equation.
Some argue that rotation limits choice or promotes mediocrity. That is false. Rotation does not negate competence; it enhances it. It challenges each zone to bring forward its best, its most visionary and capable leaders to represent it when the time comes. Equity and efficiency can, and must, coexist.
True democracy is not only about winning elections; it is about building legitimacy. The strength of a multi-ethnic state depends on its ability to make every group feel like a stakeholder. Power rotation achieves that, not through force, but through fairness.
The fragrance of power rotation is sweet, it carries the scent of justice, inclusion, and peace. But when the fragrance fades, what follows is the stench of disunity and bitterness. No progress can take root in an atmosphere poisoned by exclusion.
Nigeria must not allow the hard-earned trust among its people to evaporate in the heat of political greed. Leadership should rotate, not to appease anyone, but to reaffirm that the country or state belongs to all.
As the 2027 election approaches, the call for equity has become the loudest song across Nigerias’ political air. Power rotation is not an act of charity; it is the right thing to do. It keeps the peace, renews faith in democracy, and ensures that leadership remains the collective property of the people not the inheritance of a few.
Justice is the sweetest perfume of democracy. When it is sprayed across the land, peace follows. Kogi must keep the fragrance alive, for the sake of fairness, unity, and the future.
– Musa Asiru Bakare, a Political Analyst and Member, APC, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
