•We won’t oppose southern presidential candidate — ACF

• …blasts Wike, cautions against anti-Arewa statements

•Why parties won’t take position soon

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Demola Akinyemi, David Odama, & Haruna Aliyu

If the position of some critical northern leaders is anything to go by, the tension over power shift to southern Nigeria may soon be a thing of the past.

The matter, which has overheated the polity, saw the country’s two major political parties, All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leaving Nigerians guessing on where the next President would come from.

In a political environment where geopolitics plays a major role in leadership emergence, key electioneering issues have literally been eclipsed by the debate over the zone to produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor.

READ ALSO: 2023 PRESIDENCY: Decision of South will shake Nigeria — Wike

The PDP and APC are yet to take a stand on the matter, leaving the issue to speculations and conjectures.

Less than one year to 2023 general elections, political actors in both parties are sharply divided on the issue.

For instance, Rivers State governor, Nysom Wike, last week, while speaking to PDP stakeholders at the Government House, Port Harcourt, had warned against undermining the interest of the South in choosing the party’s presidential standard-bearer.

‘“Nigerians will know that we are not joking. People take the South for granted, saying that they are not together. No problems. If we didn’t know yesterday, today, we know”, Wike had said in apparent response to the tense zoning debate.

“We are assets. We are not a liability. When we say we are going to support the party, we support the party with everything we have. We are not in America where you do television campaigns.

“When we come out, we will choke them. They know it. So, everybody should relax, let the South do their homework and then they will make a proper statement”.

However, analysts believe that if not properly handled, power shift controversy may have grave consequences for an already divided nation.

Multiple sources in the leadership of both parties told Sunday Vanguard that APC and PDP are bidding their time to avoid likely implosion that could result from their final decision on rotation.

Forces

They said Nigerians shouldn’t expect any categorical statement on the matter any time soon, saying the outcome may not favour any of them if an early decision is made on zoning.

“The parties are just being careful. The forces at play are not every day political forces”, one of the sources said.

“Times are different because of what has happened in the last eight years.

“Any party that takes a position on zoning now would experience an implosion that could lead to a third force.

“Nigerians should focus on having the right candidates instead of getting drowned in the zoning debate”.

Meanwhile, northern leaders, in separate chats with Sunday Vanguard, said they were not opposed to power shift to the South, but insisted that emphasis should be on having the best man for the job.

According to the National Publicity Secretary of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Emmanuel Yawe, the North would not oppose the emergence of a southern presidential candidate.

He said: “The North has no such plans to deny the South presidential ticket.

“The issue of sponsorship of candidates at elections has been resolved by the 1999 Constitution which makes it the exclusive responsibility of political parties.

“The ACF is not a political party and will wish to be kept out of this.

“On the other hand, Mr. Wike should say how many times his party, the PDP, has chosen a northerner as its presidential candidate since 1999, compared to how many times it has chosen a southerner and tell Nigerians who is denying who a presidential ticket.”

Tension

Elder statesman and former Head of Service in Kebbi State, Alhaji Abubakar Udu Idris, said the North is not afraid of a President of southern extraction but the noise being made by them and verbal attacks on not only northern leaders, but the entire North itself is creating tensions between the two regions.

He said:”In a democratic setting, there is no ‘must,’ but since Nigeria is not such a united entity, we have to allow power shift.

“What we need is a leader who will be just and equitable, no matter where he comes from. “The PDP and APC should know that we made them and we can unmake them.

“If they don’t put their acts together, they will be surprised.

“The country needs a third force and not the two so-called major parties who do not even read their manifestos.

“As far as I am concerned, Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, is the only political party in the country because they have ideology and principles. “Others use their parties as vehicles to clinch power without an idea of how to govern.

“Nobody is looking up to APC or PDP to provide leadership because both of them have not lived up to the expectations of Nigerians.

“We are more concerned with a third force to displace them.

“It is only those I call political novices that are waiting for the so-called major political parties to zone presidential tickets.

“As a principled man, I know power shift is undemocratic, but for fairness, we should allow southerners to rule because they are Nigerians too. But they must watch their statements against the north in order not raise tensions.’’

INEC

President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, on his part, said: “The issue of keeping Nigerians guessing on where the next presidential candidate should come from is purely a problem created by the two dominant political parties, APC and PDP.

“It is because they are not being challenged by other parties. There is no reason this should be the case.

“The confusion created by the two dominant political parties is a deliberate ploy.

“I said this because leaders of the parties are supposed to be thinking ahead of elections.

“The Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, announced the dates for elections about two years ago.

“INEC National Chairman, Mammoud Yakubu, already told the whole world the dates for the elections. He made it known ahead of time in 2021.

Wike

“Why should it take the political parties more than one year to end these annoying speculations about their presidential candidates?

“I don’t think Nigerian political parties would start searching for presidential candidates after INEC announcement of dates.

“I expect them to do so at least two or three years ahead of time.

“I read the position of Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, where he said he was in support of a northern presidential candidate after meeting Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed. “I later saw comments credited to him, that the North shouldn’t deny a southerner the presidency.

“I wonder what Wike actually stands for. He seems to be talking from both sides of his mouth.

“It was ridiculous that a democratically-elected governor would be the one saying a certain region has the exclusive right to contest the presidency.

“If Wike wants to advocate a return to the days of regional governments, he should be specific please.”

On his part, Brig-Gen Idris Bello, rtd, said:” The presidency should be zoned to the South in APC.

“It is their turn and they will now decide which part of the South to produce their candidate.

“As for PDP, their last President was from the South. This time, their candidate has to come from the North.”

Predicament

Vice Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, Northern states and Abuja, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, said: “The choice of a flag bearer is a party decision.

“Our only concern is for every political party to present a credible candidate irrespective of faith, region, and any identity.

“We need a candidate that can deliver good governance and take Nigeria and Nigerians out of our present predicament.

“It is also expected that the chosen candidate would take into consideration, the Federal Character Principle in forming his team.

“We need each other to build a great and prosperous Nigeria.’’

Spokesperson for the Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, Suleiman Abdulaziz, said: “We actually cannot see the wisdom in Governor Wike’s outburst that the South cannot be denied the right to seek the presidency because nobody doubts the right of anyone from whatever region or section of Nigeria to vie for the presidency of Nigeria.

“The northern position is that any competent person can contest the race on equal and fair grounds but the North will not accept to be intimidated or blackmailed into giving up its right to same.

“We have always been consistent in our position that until that time when Nigerians can reach across and speak to each other with deserving respect, the country will continue to be torn wider apart by regionalists with dubious political aims.

“People like Chief Edwin Clark who should otherwise be seen to play honest statesmanship are unfortunately the ones exploiting cleavages of ethnic and sectional nature to push a wedge against the unity of the country.

“In the process, they resort to undemocratic tactics that involve threats and intimidation at the slightest pretexts, including one of imposing a regional President on the rest of Nigerians.

“Rather than these people working to reclaim their statesmanship by joining in the new thinking for a generational movement of power, they insist on the over-flogged agitation for the shift of power across sections and regions, which has never worked for the entire 62 years of Nigeria’s existence.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the North would never allow itself to be intimidated, harassed, or blackmailed into agreeing to undemocratic methods of leadership selection while it does not deny anybody from whatever section the right to contest, present his credentials and prove his worth to the Nigerian voter.

Regional leaders

“What should rather concern the nation and particularly those who pose as regional leaders and agitators are the search for a competent, strong, informed, credible and reliable Nigerian President accepted by Nigerians to deal fairly and justly among all components of Nigeria.

“The North will continue to share its vision of a nation that has room for everyone.

“However, the region shall never accept to be intimidated or blackmailed out of its right to present candidates for the presidency now or in the future.

“Our faith in the prospects for a strong and united Nigeria is still solid. We hear and understand the clamour to re-visit the philosophy, structures and operations of the Nigerian state, and we join in support of any inquiry and change in the manner we live that will improve our security and the quality of our lives.

“The North has nothing to fear from any democratic process, provided we are involved as partners who have a stake in a Nigeria that works for all of us.

“The North has many issues with the operations of the Nigerian state, but it does not routinely insult, blame, harass, or blackmail elite from other regions for them.

“On the contrary, we will welcome an opportunity to engage all parts of Nigeria in honest and open-ended discussions on constitutional and electoral reforms, the operations of our federal structure and national economy, and all issues which represent major sources of grievance.”

Rotation

President of Arewa Youth Forum, AYF, Alhaji Gambo Gujungu, also speaking on the matter, said: “Our concern ahead of 2023 is not the geographical zone of a candidate.

“For instance, if someone from any part of the country will do justice and further unite us, bring an end to insecurity in the country, our position is that such a person should be encouraged and supported to emerge as our President. “Religion, tribe, or gender should not matter here.

“Rotation, power shift and related concepts should be considered archaic and replaced with competence, national acceptability and the ability to offer leadership.”

Meanwhile, a PDP chieftain in Kwara State, Isiaka Mogaji, told Sunday Vanguard that he wanted his party to zone the presidency to the North.

Mogaji said:”Based on equity, fairness and justice, the presidency should be zoned to the North this time. We cannot compare ourselves with APC.’’

Vanguard News