The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has declared that it will not bow to intimidation from Southern Governors, stressing that the North still has four years to rule Nigeria, after the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.
AYCF National President, Yerima Shettima made the declaration on Thursday while faulting Southern governors call for a rotational presidency in 2023.
Southern governors had during a meeting in Lagos agreed that the Southern part of the country should produce Nigeria’s next president in 2023.
Reacting, Shettima noted that Southern governors cannot intimidate the North with such decisions.
According to him, former Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan ruled Nigeria for 14 years in favour of the South, while late Musa Yar’Adua and Buhari would have ruled for 10 years in 2023, hence the North has four years outstanding.
What Shettima said:
“That is their personal view which is not binding on Nigerians and Northerners.
“We are in a democracy and it must be practiced with all-inclusiveness; as far as we are concerned, it’s not binding on anybody and nobody will abide by such resolution.
“If we are talking about justice, it was not served to us as far as we are concerned, because there is no way Obasanjo would have had eight years uninterrupted, Yar’Adua only did two years then Jonathan took over as an acting president in 2009 and in 2011, Jonathan should not have contested going by the arrangement.
“North is supposed to have eight years uninterrupted but there was interruption due to natural or unforeseen circumstances we found ourselves in.
“We foresaw a day like this coming, Jonathan contested in 2011 and won the election. He had six years while Obasanjo had eight years; all in favour of the Southern part of the country. Jonathan and Obasanjo did 14 years in favour of the South.
“After the death of Yar’Adua, the two years outstanding with Buhari’s eight years, if he finishes, you discover that North has only 10 years; so where lies the remaining four years, where is justice?
“We insist that nobody can intimidate us, I will say it again, nobody, not even the Southern governors can intimidate the North as it is today.
“The decision of the Southern governors is purely their business and is not binding on any of us in the North.”
What you should know
As the 2023 general elections approach, the political class is torn between honoring or dismissing the agreement on rotational presidency between Northern and Southern Nigeria.
While debates rage on the viability of the agreement some major opponent including Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello are of the opinion that the agreement is “unconstitutional”, adding that “Nigerians should be allowed to make their choices for the best candidate to emerge for the top post”.
