Shaibu: Why Governors Are Unhappy With Security Agencies

Shaibu:  Why Governors Are Unhappy With Security Agencies

Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, says the position of Southern Governors’ Forum on rotational presidency in 2023 still requires collaboration with the North. He also speaks on why governors are unhappy with security agencies in handling in the security challenge. Tobi Soniyi presents the excerpts

The governors of the 17 Southern states at their last meeting decided that the South should produce the country’s next president. Many of the governors are from the All Progressives Congress while you are of the Peoples Democratic Party. How did you arrive at the decision and will your party also implement it?

The position is that of the Southern Governors’ Forum and that represents what we in the Southern region want for our country. The forum does not have political coloration. We don’t discuss parties there. We discuss what concerns our region and as far as we are concerned, it is only fair that the presidency this time should go to the South and by that, we are talking about Southwest, Southeast and South-south.

We are saying whether (from) the APC, PDP, APGA or any party, that the south should produce the next president, deriving from the rotational principle that we have had in the country. Presently, the president is from the north. Before now, we had Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Umaru Musa Yar’adua and Olusegun Obasanjo and if you have to count the military, it has been more of the northern people. So, we are saying for fairness and equity purposes, since the presidency is currently in the north, come 2023, the south should produce the president of this country and we unanimously agreed on this.

In the south, there are still regions that feel they have been marginalised and they say they deserve to produce the president in 2023. The Igbo in particular from the Southeast is one. Did you consider the issue of micro-zoning?

What we agreed upon today is that the southern part of Nigeria and anybody from that region can contest for the presidency come 2023. He could come from the Southwest, Southeast and South-south. We have not reached the level of micro-zoning. What we have just agreed upon is that for equity and fairness, the Southern part and anybody from these geopolitical zones can contest for it. The issue of micro-zoning was not discussed, but what was discussed was that the next president should come from Southern Nigeria for reasons of equity and fairness.

The issue again is that if you are talking about equity and fairness, I will take you to the very recent history of the country, where everyone who came out for President has come from either the Southwest, South-south or the Southeast. The Southeast has not had it. Is it fair for the Southeast to have it this time around?

This is a forum of all the Southern governors of Nigeria and like I said, what is key now is to get this position to the south and when it comes to the south, we we’ll all agree. Mind you, the president is not going to be the president of the southern part of Nigeria; he is going to be the President of Nigeria.

Even as we demand that the president should come from the South, we must also put into consideration the fact that the northern part of the country should be part of this zoning arrangement of the presidency to the south. By the time it gets to the south, the issue of micro-zoning will be discussed, but for now the issue is let us get it to the south. That is what we are concerned about for now.

Given the fact that the governors are a major block and a determining factor, are you taking them into consideration especially, since you are all from different political parties?

It is our decision and as a southern person, the parties will have to listen to us, because we have agreed upon it but we have not taken it to our parties. The APC governors will take it to their party and the PDP governors will take it to their party. It is not going to be just the southern governors’ pronouncement. It is an agreement by all of us and that is a position we will canvas at our various National Working Committee (NWC) meetings.

So, when we go back to our various parties, we will canvas that position, which we all have agreed upon. We agreed that we want the presidency to be zoned to the south and the onus is now on us to take it to our various parties. That is what we have agreed upon. Beyond the position we have taken, we are going back to our party to canvass that the south should produce the next governor.

The forum seems to be unhappy with some (security) issues happening in the country. For instance, the forum said state governments should be informed before the federal government carries out any security operation in their states. Are there any specific incidences in this regard,because inferences are now being drawn. Is it that of Sunday Igboho or Nnamdi Kanu?

Generally, without mentioning a specific incident, the governors are not happy with the modus operandi of the security outfits, not just that of the police or the SSS. If federal agencies are coming to the state to make an arrest, it is customary that the Chief Security Officer (of the state) should be informed.

The method you are adopting to carry out the arrest can be kept to yourself, but when you are coming to the state for an official assignment, the governor as the Chief Security Officer should be aware, even though you would not reveal your modus operandi. Possibly if there is any assistance the governor can give he will go ahead to do so, but like I said, as the Chief Security Officer of the state, he must be aware.

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