By Aliyu Dangida
Former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has stated that the 17 Southern Governors should stop “ganging up” and “issuing threats” in order to secure the 2023 Presidential slot.
Shekarau, who represents Kano Central District in the Senate, stated this on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s “Sunrise Daily” breakfast show, which HotPen monitors.
The All Progressives Congress chieftain stated that the next President, following the incumbent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd. ), should be from the country’s southern region to give every Nigerian a “sense of belonging.”
He also stated that the APC should zone its presidential ticket in the South to a capable and credible candidate in the next election, which will take place in about 18 months.
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The two-term governor and former Education Minister, on the other hand, chastised the Southern Governors for “ganging up” to demand the presidency in 2023.
As the general election in 2023 approaches, there has been a lot of political posturing, permutations, and fireworks. The 17 Southern Governors met twice this year to demand power be transferred to their region, while the 19 Northern Governors met last week to oppose such a move, noting that the candidate with the most votes will be elected President in the next general election.
Speaking on the television program, Shekarau expressed regret that the issue of zoning had devolved to the point where democracy had been reduced to “regional gang-up.”
Shekarau lamented on the television program that the issue of zoning had devolved to the point where democracy had been reduced to “regional gang-up.”
“As far as the party to which I belong, the APC, my proposal is that now that President Buhari is from the northern part of the country and (after) he has completed his eight years, let us shine the spotlight on the southern part of Nigeria, not because we don’t have competent people in the north… That doesn’t mean you’re ignoring issues like competence, credibility, and so on.
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“While I agree that we should strive for the best and thus open it up to all parts of the country, we must also consider the aspect of a sense of belonging. To give every part of Nigeria a sense of belonging, we must be mindful of perception.
“Where I disagree with the Southern Governors is their banding together and declaring that it must be our turn. I believe this is purely a social gathering.”
He went on, “We must not do this at the point of threat, that it must be me, that it must be he, that we must come together.” This is more of a partisan issue.
“My point of disagreement with gang-up groups like the Southern Governors is coming together to say it must be our time, this is incorrect, it is purely (a) party issue, and the political parties should go into the boardrooms and sort this issue out themselves.”
“Today, the Southern Governors band together; tomorrow, another band together and say it must be us,” he explained.
“Governors are very prominent people in the scheme of things; they are leaders, so they must be careful coming together to make some pronouncement that amounts to inciting the general public to take a stand and see it as a regional fight,” Shekarau added.