2023 Presidency: Future, Peace of Nigeria in Danger if North Refuses Zoning – Shehu Sani Warns
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
Following recent comment credited to Malam Nasir el-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State that power rotation in Nigeria between the North and South be dropped, Senator Shehu Sani, has said such position is will be a serious threat to future and peace of the country.
Sani, who was the immediate Senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial district in the 8th Senate, warned that any attempt for the northern region to continue to dominate the leadership of the nation because of her numerical strength will pose eminent danger to the unity and peace of the Nation.
Senator Sani during an interaction with newsmen in Kaduna noted it would be unfair for the north after eight years to want to continue to hold to power beyond 2023 on grounds of numerical strength.
The former lawmaker, therefore threw his weight behind the South West producing the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023.
He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to caution any northerner eyeing the Presidency, saying that it will amount to ingratitude on the part of the north not to support the South West considering the support from that region which helped in uprooting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
“The President should caution those from the north eyeing that position, power needs to rotate to other region, the South West worked tirelessly to remove PDP from office and helped to bring Nigeria to where it is today and deserve support from the north come 2023.
“If federal character is applied on appointments and other areas, it should also be applicable in the political space, therefore the North should be fair and magnanimous to all and give all region sense of belonging.
“PMB should set up a clear policy and agenda to address the socioeconomic and security problems facing Nigeria and in particular the northern region and should invest in agriculture for a prepared restructured Nigeria.” Sani advises.
He charged Nigerians to unite and remain peaceful, avoid seed of discord while holding those in position of leadership accountable.
He lamented that those in position of leadership are loosing grip in finding solutions to numerous challenges such as armed banditry. Kidnapping and other forms of criminality bedeviling the region.
el-Rufai was quoted to have said that the informal zonal arrangement should be discontinued, describing it as a barrier to political equality.
Some sections of the media had quoted el-Rufai as saying, “even with our success in the 2015 elections, there is room for improvement. Barriers to political equality, such as our seemingly entrenched though informal rule for zoning candidacies according to regions of origin, need to be de-emphasised and ultimately abandoned in favour of an emphasis on qualification, competence and character.”
