According to Ndume, for fairness, justice and equity, the ruling APC should zone the 2023 Presidency to the South.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Even as some shadowy political forces mostly from the North are working hard to truncate the zoning arrangement of the political parties and retain power in their region after eight years of General Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency, some voices of reason are beginning to emerge from the North, calling for a change of heart for the sake of the country’s unity.
It is for this reason that ahead of the presidential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the emergence of a flag-bearer, former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South has said that it will be unfair, an injustice, and a betrayal of trust and gentleman agreement if the APC Zones the Presidency to the North.
According to Ndume, for fairness, justice and equity, the ruling APC should zone the 2023 Presidency to the South.
Ndume who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, while reacting to APC jettisoning of zoning, said, “That will be unfair, injustice and almost a betrayal of trust and a gentleman agreement.
“We had an agreement, though not written in 2015 that the North should produce the President. That was why all the presidential aspirants were from the North: Atiku, Nda Isaiah, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Muhammadu Buhari contested.
“Only Rochas Okorocha just participated because he already had the governorship ticket in his pocket. He just participated for the sake of it because Buhari even won in Imo State.
“That was why no aspirants contested from South West, South South and South East. I believe in justice; I am not against anybody from the North contesting, it is their constitutional right.”
North retaining Presidency could spell doom for Nigeria – Middle Belt group
Meanwhile, corroborating the position of Senator Ndume, the Middle Belt Movement for Justice and Peace (MBMJP) has advised the two dominant political parties – APC and PDP – against retaining the presidency in the north in 2023 warning that such could spell doom for the country.
The group warned that the fallout of that move might be too much for those plotting it to handle because the country would be plunged further into an unimaginable political crisis.
The Convener MBMJP, Comrade Joe Bukka, in a statement Tuesday in Makurdi appealed to the political class to desist from deliberate acts that could further endanger the unity of the country.
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He said it was unimaginable that politicians were pondering with the idea of retaining the presidency of the country in the north at the end of the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari who is a northerner, warning that those behind the plot might not be able to stand the consequences of their “ill-conceived political adventure.”
He noted that “those behind the plot to retain the presidency in the north at the end of the present administration do not mean well for Nigeria. They are taking Nigerians, particularly the people of southern Nigeria, for granted.
“We are appealing to those behind this ill-conceived political adventure to please retrace before it is too late. We are yet to get out of the economic crisis that has left most Nigerians in a state of despair and any attempt to push the country into an avoidable political crisis could spell doom for the country.
“Today we are faced with separatist agitations in the east and west and it behoves our political leaders to do everything to assuage these agitations and not further plunge the country into an unwanted political crisis by wanting to retain the presidency of the country in the north.
“The rotation of the presidency of this country is on the basis of the north and south. This has helped us as a country maintain some sanity at that level. And anything done to deviate from that principle will portend danger to our unity because Nigerians are enlightened people.
“Since it will also convey a message of dominance by one section, it will fuel the regional agitations the more and the implication is better imagined. So we advise that the political parties cede it to the south and the presidency micro-zoned to the South East in the interest of peace, equity, fairness and natural justice.”