Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

Governors from the South, under the aegis of Southern Governors’ Forum (SGF), are no longer on the same page on their earlier resolution that political par­ties in the country, especially the rul­ing All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), must not field any Northerner as presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections, Daily Independent has gathered.

One of the Southern governors, who was present at the two meetings where the resolution was made, con­firmed the development to Daily In­dependent on Monday.

According to him, many of his colleagues have listened to the voice of reason and have “somehow agreed that throwing the ticket open to all as­pirants where the best person will emerge is the best thing to do in the interest of peace and development of the country”.

He added that some of his colleagues have also agreed with those who declared their resolution on zoning as un­constitutional and that Nige­rians should not allow ethnic or regional considerations determine who becomes the president in the 2023 general election.

It would be recalled that there has been a sharp division among the 36 state governors on the issue of zoning of the presidential tickets of the po­litical parties.

While the APC, PDP and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governors from the Southern part of the country insisted that the presidency must shift to the South in 2023, the PDP and APC governors in the Northern Governors’ Forum rejected the demand, saying it negates the position of the Nigerian constitution.

The 17 Southern governors from the APC, PDP and APGA at their meeting in Lagos in July, last year, had issued a com­muniqué where they agreed that the presidency should be zoned to Southern Nigeria in 2023 when President Muham­madu Buhari completes his second term.

“The forum reaffirms its commitment to the unity of Nigeria on the pillars of equity, fairness, justice, progress and peaceful coexistence between and amongst its people.

“The forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unan­imously agreed that the pres­idency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern and North­ern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nige­ria should emerge from the South.”

The governors, who again met in Enugu in September also reiterated their commit­ment towards ensuring that the major political parties com­plied with their resolution on zoning of the presidential tick­et to the South.

Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who is the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, had said any political party that fields a Northern candidate for presi­dency in 2023 risks losing the support of Southerners.

He argued that when Pres­ident Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner, completes his second term in 2023, the next president should come from the South.

According to him, “There are about three political parties that are in the Southern Gover­nors’ Forum, we have the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress. All of us are unanimous in our position that the next president of this country must come from the South.

“For us, we are unanimous. It (the forum) is not a political platform. I believe that any party that picks somebody from the North would have to face the whole Southern region because they will not support it.

“It has to come from the South. We are saying that there must be what I will call rotation. The justice of it and the fairness in it are what we are preaching. If my president – President Buhari — has been in office for eight years, it can’t be from the North. The next president must come from the South.”

In response, Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and governor of Pla­teau State, Simon Lalong, in an 11-point resolution of the meeting, said, “Notwithstand­ing their comments, the Fo­rum unanimously condemn the statement by the South­ern Governors’ Forum that the presidency must go to the South.”

Speaking with Daily Inde­pendent, a governor from the Southern part of the country who was initially opposed to the move by the SGF said re­cent developments in the polity has vindicated him as most of his colleagues who were ini­tially insisting on zoning the presidency to the South have jettisoned the idea.

“I think I have been vindi­cated by what happened two days ago. One of our colleagues who was present at the South­ern Governors’ Forum where the resolution was made vis­ited one of our colleagues in the North and he said that the PDP stands a brighter chance of winning the 2023 election if they field our Northern col­league as candidate.

“If you are serious about the South producing the pres­idential candidate in 2023, why technically declaring support for a Northerner? I think they themselves have seen the fu­tility in pushing the idea of a Southern candidate.

“Political parties can zone but they should allow every qualified aspirant to partic­ipate in the primaries. That has been the norm since return of democracy in 1999. Asking qualified persons not to partic­ipate in the primaries is uncon­stitutional and that was why I never supported the move at the word go”, he said.

https://independent.ng/southern-governors-divided-on-zoning-2023-presidency/

chest beating as usual. one bark by northerners, they scatter

Picture Governors In speech and not deed

Matters arising

What a humiliation that southern governors can not be in unison in their presidential zoning decision.

Fear of betrayal and the tendency to use sharp hypocritical manoeuvre of SE and SS to achieve their presidential ambition may cause divide. After which they will happily return the power to the north with pledge of allegiance

Nigeria is now wiser than before

Buhari Buhari Buhari

Abeg resign, resign, resign

Wobatery:
Anybody except Tinubu is fine

Tinubu for where

Even Tinubu know sey presidency no sure for am

The matter strong

At least it's not constitutional.

The topic should be southern pdp govs kick against southern presidency.

This is exactly what the Fulani north wants. You see the Feudal North worst nightmare is when southerners unite and vote a presidential candidate, with the support of Christian North Central states, NO HAUSA MAN will ever rule this country. The last time this happened was in 2011, we all saw the North's schizophrenic reaction; boko haram; bomb blast e.t.c.
This is exactly the reason they're always hell bent on dividing southerners. They divide us and keep ruling us.

Hmmmm

Atiku all the way

Selfish politics as usual. We know those of them that can't win as Presidential aspirant for now but want to go as vice for a northern aspirant. It is all about them and never for the region.

No region like South. It's a fraud. We have 6 geopolitical zones, period!

Another aboki president will destroy this country

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If power does not shift to the South in 2023 after 8 years of the North, the PDP should be blamed entirely.

The body language of APC shows that they are very open to rotating power to the South after 8 years of Northern rule.

But the PDP are putting "grabbing power at all costs" over fairness and equity.

To them it is more important for them to win the election than for power to rotate in Nigeria.
Even if a candidate from Cameroon will make them win the election they will go for it.

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Wike was endorsing Bala Mohammed yesterday..hypocrite

While SW Governors under southern Governors forum are canvassing for rotation and return of Presidency to South, they are selfishly not considering same rotation in the south, having had a shot under OBJ and now VP Osibanjo, they are projecting Tinubu another SWener not minding that they ganged with North to remove a SS brother from Power. That's hypocrisy, greed and wickedness

If Southern Governors are not micro-zoning to either SS or SE, let North remain with power.

Rather than SW, let it remain in the North. Until they understand equity

Ennn if zoning is not constitutional, what stops the Constitution from been amended? Abi Dem no the amend Constitution again?

Hmmm.

Useless governors

PrinceOfLagos:

Tinubu for where

Even Tinubu know sey presidency no sure for am

Presidency is sure for Sheilk Gunmi than any Y.ibo man alive

Noth