The north had lost the power it had been impatiently waiting for since the turn of the Fourth Republic in 1999. Worse still, despite the protests of the northern elite, Jonathan ran for office, and won in 2010.
The possibility of a repetition of this situation is why the north is particularly apprehensive over Buhari's extended medical vacation. There is no chance Buhari's northern friends, already accused of imposing a political stranglehold over the masses, will watch Osinbajo become president without a fight - in the event that Buhari is unable to continue in office owing to ill-health or death.
