The Arewa Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria has reaffirmed its earlier position on why a southerner should succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
Speaking at a press conference at the Arewa House in Kaduna on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the group Comrade Abdulsalam Moh’d Kazeem urged all political parties to zone their presidency to the South in the spirit of unity.
The group said since the return of democracy in 1999 “power has been rotated between South and North. Unfortunately, in 2007 when the power shifted to North after two years God took the life of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua of blessed memory, this created a vacuum and resulted to so much agitations by Northern stakeholders that North must complete their 8-years term as President Obasanjo did.
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“Since the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria is supreme and has a way of succession and emergence of leadership [Goodluck] Jonathan as the Vice President was constitutionally sworn-in to be the 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 Jonathan a minority from oil-rich Niger-Delta region of Nigeria and having never produced President of the country, our stakeholders in the North advised to allow him to go for another four years term which will have completed the joint ticket of him and late President Yar’adua.
“In 2015, after realizing President Jonathan isn’t ready to relinquish power, Northern stakeholders with the support of many progressive Southerners whom believed in Unity and Fairness, Jonathan second term bid was truncated, President Muhammadu Buhari elected and will complete his 8 years tenure by 2023.
“It’s important – though it’s not law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – we have to respect our integration, brotherhood and unity. It’s for the sake of our national unity that we are standing today to declare that power should be rotated to South in the spirit of oneness, equity, justice, fairness and equal opportunities.
“Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914 with agreement that the country belongs to all irrespective of ethnicity, religion or region. For those who are beating the drum of hatred and division, trying to cause chaos and war in our dear nation because they benefit from a disunited Nigeria, we are watching and this will be a nightmare to all of them.
“We urge all political parties to zone their Presidential candidates to the south. Any party that refuses to do so, we are going to mobilize our teaming youth and campaign against it. We the Arewa Concerned Civil Society Organizations of Nigeria in the spirit of building our desired nation and our continued existence as an entity, also not jettisoning the principles of power balance and fairness calls for the total support of Presidency to the Southern part of the country.
“We have no other country than Nigeria and we will not sit down and see our country disintegrate due to the selfish desires of some individuals that think Presidency is their birth right of a particular region. Any Northerner contesting President will be regarded as agent disunity and enemy of the nation. The South West is also a beneficiary of the benevolence of Nigerians who supported their first bid for an 8years Presidency and Vice President for yet another 8 years should also be willing to relinquish the position in the spirit togetherness and nation building.
‘Our hope, dreams and prayers are for an Igbo man to emerge as President 2023, more preferably, a private sector player, a technocrat and a de-tribalized 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 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 8 years. We reaffirmed our previous stand that we won’t support any Northerner as Successor of President Muhammadu 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 in case any Northern candidate show interest, he/she will never get our support and we shall frustrate such selfish ambition that we believe is even dead before arrival. We know power comes from God and God never allows injustice, greed and selfishness to rule our land. We will make or mar any candidate who has the unity of Nigeria at heart and vice versa.”
