TheCable

A coalition of over 45 civil society groups in the north under the umbrella of Concerned Arewa Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria says the south-east should produce the country’s president in 2023.

Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday in Kaduna, Abdulsalam Mohammed, spokesman of the group, said zoning the presidency to the south-east will be in the interest of justice, equity fairness and national unity.

The group noted that the north and south-west have taken their turns in the power game, saying it will not support any northerner as successor to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

“Any northerner contesting for the presidency will be regarded as an agent of disunity and enemy of the nation,” the group said,

“Our hope, dreams and prayers are for an Igbo man to emerge as president in 2023, more preferably a private sector player, a technocrat and a de-tribalised Nigerian with rich experience in managing the economy for peace, progress and prosperity.

“We have agreed to melt their interest in one port and insist on power to be transferred to southern part of the country in 2023 and we call on our southern people to drive this opportunity and support their own and also respect power rotation after eight years.

“We reaffirmed our previous stand that we won’t support any northerner as successor to President Mohammed Buhari in 2023 for the sake of national unity. This will help to build trust and heal the wounds calling for the dismemberment of our dear country.

“There is wise saying ‘What is good for the goose is good for the gander’. It is important though it is not a law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we have to respect our integration, brotherhood and unity.”

The group said the north has dominated the leadership of the country without anything to show for it in terms of development and quality of life of the people.