Power shift to Southern Nigeria in 2023 is non-negotiable – APC chieftain

The power rotation mantra of the ruling All Progressives Congress to support a presidential candidate from the south in 2023, is not just an election gimmick after all if the recent comment from a chieftain of the party is anything to go by.

In an interview, Sunday in Yola, Adamawa State, Alhaji Ahmed Lawal, Organising Secretary of APC in Adamawa insisted that power must shift to the southern part of Nigeria in 2023.

He stressed the need to demonstrate fairness in the polity, adding that the southern part of Nigeria supported the Northern part to retain power for eight years.

He advised the APC to ensure power rotation in 2023 to enhance national cohesion.

He rejected comments from those he called “some selfish northern politicians” intent on short-changing the south in the scheme of power play.

The organising secretary said that the proponents of power retention in the north are selfish as they cannot claim to be speaking for the entire north.

“We must rotate power to southern Nigeria for the spirit of equity, fairness and harmony.

” As far as Nigerian unity is concerned, power shift must become a stabilising principle so that no region will feel relegated and oppressed politically.

“It was instructive that our political leaders sought support from southerners while APC was mobilising during 2015 election.

” It is glaring that they cooperated well as no southern APC politician contested the primary election during 2015 and even in 2019.

” If we want to be fair to them, let’s allow them to have a feel of power come 2023.

“It is also instructive that those singing northern power retention cannot speak for the north because they are not authorised.

“As you can see some of them who claim to be members of the APC, worked against the party in the just concluded governorship election to build up PDP to be able to achieve their sinister agenda’, Lawal said.

He advised APC members at all levels to ensure they addressed internal squabbles emanating from the just concluded elections with the view to repositioning the party for future elections.

He also advised the party to reorganise itself to be able to manage its victory well, saying that victory can be more difficult to manage than failure.

NAN recalled that Mr Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Dr. Junaid Mohammed, another politician from Kano at different interviews said that rotation of presidency in 2023 to the southern Nigeria is not automatic.

End

NAN