2023 Presidency: Northern Elders Fume, Reject South’s Zoning
- The resolution of the southern governors over the 2023 presidential ticket is still sparking reactions across the country
- Rising from their meeting in Lagos on Monday, July 5, the 17 governors from the southern part of the country declared that the zone should produce Buhari's successor in 2023
- In reaction, the Northern Elders Forum advised the governors to lobby their parties to zone the presidency to the south
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The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has slammed the 17 southern governors for demanding a power shift to the south in 2023.
The Nation reports that the NEF rejected the position of the governors that the south should produce the next president, saying that the north would not be compelled to yield an elective position.
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The Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom, however, backed the call for power shift, saying it aligns with the need for equity and fairness.
Legit.ng recalls that the southern governors met in Lagos on Monday, July 5, and reinforced resolutions reached at their May 11 meeting in Asaba, the Delta state capital.
They insisted that power must shift to the south in 2023, and agreed to enact anti-open grazing laws by September 1.
The north should not be compelled to give up the presidency
The NEF, through its director of publicity and advocacy, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the north would not be intimidated into yielding an office that ought to be settled democratically.
It described the decision of the southern governors as an expression of a sentiment that could be best discussed within a political process.
The Guardian also reports that the forum explained that the southern governors come from the two dominant parties - All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Baba-Ahmed noted that the southern governors should influence their parties to zone the presidency to their region and then work to convince Nigerian voters from all parts of the country to vote for that candidate.
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Governor Diri says the south will lobby north in 2023
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa state said that southern politicians would lobby their northern counterparts to achieve their aim.
It was reported that Diri stated this in a television interview monitored in Yenagoa against the backdrop of the resolution passed by the Southern Governors' Forum (SGF) that the region must produce the presidency in 2023.
Governor Diri said the north had what was required to produce the president, the same with the south.
Source: Legit.ng
