Ahead of the 2023 elections, prominent Nigerians are said to be making nationwide consultation to ensure that major political parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) field southern presidential candidates.
It was gathered that the concern of these prominent Nigerians, is to ensure that the South – any of South-south, South-west and South-east geopolitical zones, produces the next president of the country in order to continue to sustain the unity of the country and douse the current political tension.
A source close to the initiative, it was learnt, revealed that these prominent Nigerians had in the past few days met with former presidents, military Heads of States, traditional/religious leaders of different faiths, business moguls and other stakeholders, who were said to have supported the idea.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, explained:
The group, headed by a former top federal government official, has in the last few days met with the former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Heads of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar(rtd), traditional rulers and other stakeholders on the need to persuade the major political parties to produce southern candidates.
We know zoning of the presidency to any particular geo-political zone of the country is at the discretion of political parties; but we need to have a special arrangement similar to that of the 1999 prearrangement where Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the PDP produced southern candidates in ensuring that the South was given the opportunity to produce the president in 1999 after the June 12 1993 crisis.
Since the North would have concluded its eight years run in President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, it is fair we allow the presidency to go to the South if we must continue to encourage equity, fairness and unity of this country.
The source added that even though the ruling APC is considering zoning the presidency to the South, there is the need to work on other political parties, especially the PDP, to follow a similar pathway.
The source added:
Rotation or zoning is not sanctified; it is a party’s procedure among members because it is not in our constitution. So, it is left for members of the parties to decide where the presidential candidate should come from.
Many aspirants in APC, including its National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu; the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha; and others who are apparently encouraged by the ongoing consultations, are currently erecting political structures across the country in preparation for the race.
Meanwhile, in a major political development, Buhari’s supporters were reportedly considering backing former President, Goodluck Jonathan, for 2023 presidential poll.
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Reports stated that this move will satisfy the increasing clamour for power shift to the South, even as Buhari’s close loyalists believed that Jonathan would be inoffensive to their group’s interest and as such, the right person to take over if power were to shift to the South.
A top source in Buhari’s camp was quoted to have said:
Former President Jonathan handed over power peacefully and nursed no bitterness against anyone and, therefore, will not be a threat to the interest of the north.
The attraction to Jonathan’s possible candidacy is that he will serve just one term of four years and power will return to the North.
In the meantime, former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP and others are also said to be making consultations ahead of the 2023 presidential race.
