Northern Groups Insist on Power Shift to the South-east

John Shiklam in Kaduna

A coalition of over 45 civil society groups in the North under the umbrella of Concerned Arewa Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria has insisted that in the interest of justice, equity, fairness and national unity, the South-east region should produce the next president in 2023.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Kaduna, the spokesman of the coalition, Abdulsalam Mohammed, said the North and the South-west have taken their turns in the power game.

Mohammed reiterated the stand of the group not to support any northerner as a successor to President Muhammed Buhari in 2023.

It warned that “any northerner contesting for the presidency will be regarded as agent of disunity and enemy of the country.

 “Our hopes, dreams and prayers are for an Igbo man to emerge as president in 2023, more preferably, a private sector player, a technocrat and a de-tribalised Nigerian with rich experience in managing economy for peace, progress and prosperity.

“We have agreed to melt their interest in one port and insist on power to be transferred to the southern part of the country in 2023, and we call on our southern people to drive this opportunity and support their own and also respect power rotation after eight years.

“We reaffirmed our previous stand that we won’t support any northerner as successor to Buhari in 2023 for the sake of national unity.

“This will help to build trust and heal the wounds calling for the dismemberment of our dear country.

“We, therefore, categorically say no to any northern candidate, and should any northern candidate show interest, he or she will never get our support, as we shall frustrate such selfish ambition that we believe is even dead before arrival…”

According to Mohammed, since the return of democracy in 1999, the North and the Southwest have produced both the president and vice president of the country.

He said Chief Olusegun Obasanjo from the Southwest served as president for eight years while the current Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is also serving for eight years.

The group said the North has dominated the leadership of the country without anything to show for it in terms of development and quality of life of the people.

It noted that President Umaru Musa Yar’adua served a term before his unfortunate death and was succeeded by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan a minority for the South-south.

The group said the North also produced two vice presidents – Abubakar Atiku and Namadi Sambo-while the current president, Muhammadu Buhari, will complete eight years as president in 2023.

“Since the first republic, power is being rotated between the South and North.

“Unfortunately, in 2007 when power is shifted to the North after two years, God took the life of President Yar’adua of blessed memory, this created a vacuum and resulted to so much agitations by northern stakeholders that the North must complete their 8-year term as President Obasanjo did,” it stated.

It maintained that: “Since the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is supreme and has a way of succession and emergence of leadership, Jonathan as the vice president was constitutionally sworn in as president of Nigeria.

“In the heat towards the 2011 elections, many northern stakeholders agitated that power must return to the North, but for national unity and being that Jonathan a minority from oil-rich Niger-Delta region which had produced president of the country, our stakeholders in the North were advised to allow him to go for another four year term which will have completed his joined ticket with late President Yar’adua.”

Mohammed  further stated that: “In 2015, after realising that Jonathan was not ready to relinquish power, Northern stakeholders, with the support of many progressive southerners, who believed in unity and fairness, truncated Jonathan’s second term bid and President Buhari was elected, and will complete his eight years tenure by 2023.

“There is wise saying that: ‘What is good for the goose is good for the gander’. It is important though it is not a law of Nigeria that we have to respect our integration, brotherhood and unity.

“It is for the sake of our national unity that we are standing today and declaring that power should be rotated to Southeast for the spirit of oneness, equity, justice, fairness and equal opportunities.”