- Anyim remains the best for the Northern region and the nation, Northern youths insist
- With Anyim as President, Nigeria will be more united and prosperous, says Yaro Makama Rigachikun
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The 2023 presidential aspiration of Senator Pius Anyim got a tremendous boost on Monday when a coalition of over 30 Northern civil society organisations and youth groups under the umbrella of Arewa Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (ACCSON) endorsed his ambition.
The groups addressed a world press conference at the Arewa House Kaduna on Monday where they adopted Anyim as their presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.
After the press conference, all the civil society organisations banded together in a grand ceremony and were inaugurated as Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim Support Groups in Northern Nigeria.
The inauguration was conducted by Alhaji Yaro Makama Rigachikun, first chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State.
Addressing Anyim as “a symbol of National Unity,” the groups said his emergence as a presidential aspirant was a prayer answered.
Comrade Abdulsalam Mohammed Kazeem, spokesperson of the ACCSON, said Anyim responded to their request to contest the 2023 presidency.
”To set the record straight, on 23rd of March 2021, over 30 Civil Society Organizations of Northern extraction met at Mallam Aminu Kano Center for Democratic Research, Mambayya House, Kano State, on way forward and the unity of our nation,“ he said
Listing the civil society organisations to include, Arewa Youth Assembly for sustainable growth; Arewa Youth and Students Forum; Concerned Northern Forum; North East Peace Movement; Arewa Youth Council of Nigeria; Northern Youth Assembly for Tranquility; Northern Women Initiative Forum; North East Development Council; North Central Grassroots Foundation; Arewa Female Youth Ambassadors Peace Initiative; Initiative of Youth Advocate on Humanitarian Affairs; Arewa Youth Movement of Nigeria, Tiv Youth Initiative for Peace, Unity and Development, Middlebelt Vanguard; Northern Youth Network For Good Governance; etc., Kazeem said, “We x-rayed the current happenings; which include unity in diversity, rotational presidency, insecurity, youth unemployment, youth inclusiveness in Governance among others,” and concluded that for equity and fairness, the Southeast should produce the next president of Nigeria.
The speech reads in part, “The leadership of various organizations at that sitting supported one Nigerian project. We realize that only two regions out of the six geo-political regions have not occupied either President or vice-President seats since 1999 till date, which is unfair and against any democratic standard worldwide.
“For instance; between 1999 to 2007, it was South West and North East, and between 2007 to 2015 it was between North West, South-South and North West while between 2015 till date it is between North West and South West!
“The South East, for instance, are part and parcel of the Nigerian project from day one till date; and, they should be treated fairly just like other zones of the country. They too deserve to get what others have gotten because they have paid their dues in terms of contributions and consolidation of Nigeria.
“The region is being captured in all other sectors of the Nigerian economy based on a federal character from 1999 till date, but are denied either of the two positions mentioned earlier.”
“Going by the above facts it’s now clear to us as progressives; that the political elites are against the unity of Nigeria. We the Youths are the future and hope of the Nation as well as critical stakeholders in nation-building; In consideration of our population, we will henceforth cease to be spectators. Rather we have decided to be part of the process of mobilizing/sensitizing youths from our region to get their voters card to the point of telling them who to vote for during elections. We will defend the unity of Nigeria, which is non-negotiable. For now, this is only achievable by a rotation of the presidency. You can also call this periodic power shifts.
“With the rotation of the presidency; We believe strongly that all these agitations for separation will stop not only in the south East but in other regions since the essence is to quench marginalization and promote unity, brotherhood and pan Nigerian sentiments.
“Consequently, we hereby urge all political parties to zone their presidential ticket to the South East for justice, equity and fairness. Further to the above, we hereby present a bridge-builder to the entire youths of Northern extraction, as our candidate for the 2023 presidency.”
The groups said that their decision was informed by Anyim’s sterling leadership qualities, his capacity and competency and his penchant for bridge-building which makes him not only a detribalised Nigerian but someone with the best intentions for the youths and the North.
“His Excellency, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim is an accomplished statesman, a legal professional, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly.
“He is a detribalized Nigerian who has good intentions for the Youths and our region. As a former Senate President, history has it that before his emergence as the President of the Senate, the Senate was a troubled institution. His emergence helped to bring to an end all forms of the crisis rocking the senate. This was achieved because he introduced inclusiveness in all the activities of the red chamber.
“As a Secretary to the Government of the Federation, he helped the Jonathan administration to stabilize the administration and the Nigerian economy through numerous projects that are visible and useful to our region and the nation at large.
“As the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, he ensured there was a good relationship between the executive and the legislature. He has friends, colleagues and political associates across the 109 senatorial districts of the country.
“Senator Anyim should be our presidential candidate irrespective of party affiliations as history will judge our actions today.”
The groups said Senator Anyim remains the best for the Northern region and the nation because “he has been someone who has full knowledge of Governance from the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Arms, which remains the first of its kind in the history of our nation.”
Inaugurating the Arewa Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria Support Group for Senator Anyim Pius Anyim for President 2023 the over 80-year-old Alhaji Rigachikun echoed the same sentiments, insisting that with Anyim as President, Nigeria will be more united and prosperous.
“I am immensely delighted by this privilege to conduct the formal inauguration of the Arewa Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (ACCSON) Support Group for Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim for President, 2023,” he said.
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“As 2023 general elections approach, many people from all over Nigeria are declaring their intentions to contest for the office of president of Nigeria. For us in the North, we cherish and respect the principles of justice, equity and fairness. The unity, peace and progress of Nigeria will depend on how well we continue to respect these principles. The office of president of Nigeria is a very important office because the general well-being of our country depends on who occupies that office.
“That is why we, as Nigerians, must be very careful in choosing who becomes president of Nigeria come 2023. The president of Nigeria we need in 2023 must be a man of integrity and capacity with proven knowledge of how government works. He must be a man who believes in one Nigeria and has demonstrated that by how he relates with people from every part of this country. We need a man who will build bridges of friendship and togetherness. We need a tried and tested consensus builder to bring Nigeria back together as one united and indivisible country. We need a man who is competent and has proved his competence from the services he has rendered to our country in various capacities.
“I have looked around among all the people who have openly declared their intention to run for office of president, including those whose intentions are still in the realm of speculations and rumour, I have not seen anybody as suitable as Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim. I have known Sen. Anyim for many years and I can tell you, with every conviction, that he is the man we are looking for. With Anyim as President, Nigeria will be more united and prosperous.
“I therefore urge you the youth, men and women of goodwill to go out to your various communities and towns and spread the good news that the right man to be president of Nigeria come 2023 is Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim.”