Esther Oluku
An interest group known as ‘The Vanguard’ has expressed its displeasure over a statement credited to the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Mr. Yerima Shettima, on the rotation of presidency in Nigeria.
Addressing journalists recently in Lagos, the Public Relations Officer of the Group, Mr. Oyetayo Olusegun noted that Shettima recently granted an interview to journalists on who becomes the next president of Nigeria come 2023.
According to the PRO, when Shettima was asked “if the decision of the Northern political elites to retain power in the North come 2023, would not cause a rift between President Buhari and Bola Tinubu as a lot of Nigerians believe Tinubu would be considered the next president”, Shettima responded that “Asiwaju is even the last person or option the North would consider”.
The group warned Shettima and AYCF to stand aloof over the issue of who becomes Nigeria’s next president, saying that Shettima has no political right to speak against Tinubu neither would he decide for the northerners or Nigerians at large.
“Yerima Shettima is biting the finger that fed him; he grew up here in Oshodi of Lagos; beside we are not in the same political party nor share same political ideology, he should keep quiet over this matter.
“We can’t accept such threat from shettima because he is a political jobber seeking for Asiwaju’s attention, and he won’t get it; he is not one of the Northern political elites as long as we are concerned; there are reasonable and responsible elites in the country who can speak on this matter, not Shettima.
“Where was he when APC was coming together? We therefore say NO to his statement and disregard it as null and void and we make bold to say that we stand for Asiwaju Tinubu come 2023”.
He added that no other politician after Obafemi Awolowo has done much for the South-west aside Asiwaju, therefore he (Tinubu) deserves some credits.
He also extended the group’s loyalty to the newly appointed Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Lagos, Musiliu Akinsanya and urged him to do more for the success of the APC and Vanguard.
“We implore Akinsanya, aka, MC Oluomo to do everything within his power to maintain sanity in NURTW and continue in his humanitarian services to mankind, we believe in his mental capacity on quality leadership” he said
