- National president of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima, says the southeast will support a presidential candidate from the north in 2023
- Yerima argues that the north needs another chance in 2023 to serve as compensation for the many challenges troubling the region
- The head of the northern body also believes that Bola Tinubu, leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), will not be supported if he decides to vie for the presidential election.


Yerima Shettima, national president of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), says the 2019 presidential election has shown that the north has the most number of voters.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Eromosele Ebhomele, Yerima also believes that the southeast will support the north to produce Muhammadu Buhari's successor in 2023.

He says the north needs to be compensated
You were one of the first to ask Nigerians to consider a northerner for the 2023 presidency. It looks like the picture is becoming clearer. What are the inner political workings of the north ahead of the election?



In all honesty, we are talking about Nigeria and democracy. We've found out strongly that with what has happened in the last four years if we are still one country or brothers and sisters, we expect solidarity across board without any political hindrance from any quarters. We expect Nigerians to look at the situation around us. The issue of insecurity is highest in the northern part of the country. So many things are still wrong. We were thinking that with someone from the northern extraction steering the affairs of the country, something good should have come to the north. However, the present administration came on board without a clear policy or direction for the country. They used the entire four years to complain and trade accusations. We have a new government currently and complaints have not ceased and it is obvious that from the way things are going, it is clear that the answers to our problems are not here.



Now, the 2019 general election has fully shown that the north has the most number of votes. Yet, we are the ones faced with a lot of challenges. Ordinarily, without any challenge, we would have now decided to cede power to the south. But from what has happened and from all indications, we expect that people of goodwill would be on our side for us to sail through.


The southeast and southwest leaders say it is their turn…

They can say: “This 2019 election has already come and gone. Let us give the north another benefit of the doubt." We know that the government is only projecting the interests of the southwest and the southwest are the major beneficiaries of the government, yet they are the ones agitating to come up with certain elements from the region to take over from the southwest. For us, we feel and think they do not need it because they already have all that they want from this government.



Let them allow us to free ourselves from the shackles of insecurity, poverty and other challenges that we are facing. Again, if they feel this is about democracy and democracy is about numbers, then let us go to the field. It is about votes. So let them organise and we mobilise and see how it goes. We are going to have sympathy from the southeast that we are going to partner with God's grace. The southwest, of course, is our partner in progress but few myopic politicians from the region are doing everything to sabotage the intention of the north so as to continue to get what they want and it cannot continue.

We are saying that the north will definitely produce the next president. In fact, any political party that wants to win the election in 2023 must decide to pick its flag bearer from the north. Any attempt to pick a candidate from any other region would amount to huge defeat for any of the political parties. We have mobilised and organised and positioned to ensure that in 2023, the north will produce a candidate.

We are going to bring someone who sees Nigeria as his constituency, who would truly fight corruption not minding whose ox is gored, who would handle the economy and revamp it, who would make every Nigerian proud and operate a government of national unity in the interest of the country.


We urge Nigerians to understand. We are not saying government is meant for us alone, we are simply saying that at this period, we expect sympathy from Nigerians for a government of national unity to move ahead so that after then, we may begin to talk about supporting the southeast as partners in progress.

The impression you create is that the north should be compensated with the presidency in 2023 because it has suffered insecurity more...

That is just the true picture. Believe me, if the north is allowed to go today without the sympathy and understanding of Nigerians, there will be no north. This is because insecurity is high, the rate of poverty is beyond estimation. The crime rate is high in the north and, compared to other parts of the country, the unemployment rate in this region is higher, to the extent that, today, our northern brothers are running to the south-south and the southwest.


Remember how some of them were recently humiliated in Lagos by the state government. Should things like this continue in a country with a northerner as president? We are only appealing to men of goodwill to consider retaining the presidency in the north. I appeal and urge all the major political parties not to pick anybody from any other region apart from the north as their flag bearers or we will not support. We are prepared for the presidency.

Tinubu has been one of the champions of this administration having assisted in seeing to the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019. There are speculations that he may be interested in 2023. Don’t you think the best way to compensate him, if he agrees to come out, is for the north to support him?

Simply put, Tinubu's ambition, if true, is a quagmire. I am afraid the north may not accept him. To an extent, the north will not accept him as a Muslim. We have seen recent drama in which politicians turn religion into a tool for themselves. We have seen where a speaker of this country, who is a Christian, went to Saudi Arabia to give an impression that he is a Muslim.



You claim the south-south and the southwest are the major beneficiaries of the Buhari government, but leaders from these regions have always complained about marginalisation. There are arguments that the north has benefitted most...

Tell me where the north has benefitted and where the southwest is lacking. Our man was simply made to be at the helm of affairs, but the benefits of the government go to the southwest. See the government's economic team and how it favours the south and the west of the country. A lot of things visible in the south west cannot be seen in the north. The delay in road infrastructure is now very visible in the north. We now have potholes everywhere and the rate of accidents have increased. Zaria to Kaduna that was usually 30 minutes is now about two hours, thirty minutes. From Kano, you now spend five hours to Kaduna.

But in the past, it was known that the north had far better roads than any other part of the country. What happened?

The roads are now death traps. Every day, we record casualties from the bad roads. We are really faced with challenges. People are kidnapped on these roads and this has extended to coming to their houses to abduct them.

The question now would be whether you have the capable hands aside Buhari that was produced in 2015.

We have people who are more than capable. Talk about integrity and intelligence. It is laughable for people to think that Buhari is the best the north can produce. We have more capable hands than him. We have young and vibrant people who can do better for the country. We will consult widely before producing someone and be sure that anyone we support in the north would be the best for the country.

Do you support negotiation with armed bandits as being carried out by some governors in the north?


I am very uncomfortable with the negotiations and the way the state governors are coming out to tell the world they are negotiating. I don’t know the legacy they are creating. For how long would we continue to pamper the bandits? In the midst of unemployment, you are indirectly telling young people to take up arms so that the government can negotiate with them. It happened in the Niger Delta and some of us raised alarm and said it was not right to negotiate with public funds. All that Nigeria needs to do is sit together and examine ourselves critically and understand where we are going from where we are. Even if you are negotiating, you don’t need to do it so openly because history will always remember you positively or negatively. And in this case, history will remember negatively.



https://www.legit.ng/1261192-tinubu-nigerias-president-2023-a-northerner-return-yerima.html

Ok we have heard..

Next

Northerners are now saying SW have enjoyed so much than others.

Indirectly saying they just been greedy.

Split this country

I will definitely vote for a northern candidate if the zoo still remain one zoogeria by then.

To me, everything this man said shows the problem of the north, is the north.

How, you may ask.

It's no southerner's fault that the North has refused to maintain their infrastructure such as roads.

The North has occupied the post of leader longer than any other region, yet they have nothing to show for it asides poverty, banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping.

It clearly shows the North isn't fit for leadership as they claim.

Why?

Because the South has done so much with so little. (Exclude Lagos and oil producing states).

We can no longer tolerate the incapability of the Northern elites.

Religion isn't even their problem because we all know (and visit) prosperous Muslim countries.

Since the South has achieved so much as I little, it clearly shows that they are fit to lead the North out of their problems.

If the North holds onto the Presidency, income from the South is what will make Nigeria different from Chad & Niger.

Nigeria needs to prosper!

When you are sick, you visit a pharmacy/clinic/hospital
When your car has issues, you visit the mechanic
When you need knowledge, you employ the services of a teacher
If you need shoes, you visit the shoe maker
.
If the North wants a cure, they need to patronise their peers that have succeeded where they have failed, and that peer is Southern Nigeria.

If the North thinks they can cure these ailments of their, they should look into the history books of past leaders of Nigeria.

The North should stop holding back the progress of Southern Nigeria due to the incompetency of the Northern elites!

LeoThaGreat:
To me, everything this man said shows the problem of the north, is the north.

How, you may ask.

It's no southerner's fault that the North has refused to maintain their infrastructure such as roads.

The North has occupied the post of leader longer than any other region, yet they have nothing to show for it asides poverty, banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping.

It clearly shows the North isn't fit for leadership as they claim.

Why?

Because the South has done so much with so little. (Exclude Lagos and oil producing states).

We can no longer tolerate the incapability of the Northern elites.

Religion isn't even their problem because we all know (and visit) prosperous Muslim countries.

Since the South has achieved so much as I little, it clearly shows that they are fit to lead the North out of their problems.

If the North holds onto the Presidency, income from the South is what will make Nigeria different from Chad & Niger.

Nigeria needs to prosper!

When you are sick, you visit a pharmacy/clinic/hospital
When your car has issues, you visit the mechanic
When you need knowledge, you employ the services of a teacher
If you need shoes, you visit the shoe maker
.
If the North wants a cure, they need to patronise their peers that have succeeded where they have failed, and that peer is Southern Nigeria.

If the North thinks they can cure these ailments of their, they should look into the history books of past leaders of Nigeria.

The North should stop holding back the progress of Southern Nigeria due to the incompetency of the Northern elites!

After all these long epistle, which region do you think should rule the zoo after Jubril?

This yerima has joined the likes of ffk,bruce,reno,fayose on saying things that Nyamiris want to hear while doing otherwise in reality.

I remember ACF endorsed atiku from onset calling buhari a failure only to make u turn week to election

This Yerima guy is one big fool

ORIENTATION101:
This yerima has joined the likes of ffk,bruce,reno,fayose on saying things that Nyamiris want to hear while doing otherwise in reality.

I remember ACF endorsed atiku from onset calling buhari a failure only to make u turn week to election

Stop speaking in tongue. Tell us which region you think should take over after Jubril.

gwarotango:
This Yerima guy is one big fool

Stop speaking in tongue. Tell us which region you think should take over after Jubril.

Okay wonder who the northerner will be.

BuhariAdvocate:
Okay wonder who the northerner will be.

My yoruba moslem friend from Osogbo, is it true that thiefubu (S.W.T) is greater than yoruba moslem allah and mohammed combined?

What do you have to say about the thief, dear yoruba moslem friend?

ORIENTATION101:
This yerima has joined the likes of ffk,bruce,reno,fayose on saying things that Nyamiris want to hear while doing otherwise in reality.

I remember ACF endorsed atiku from onset calling buhari a failure only to make u turn week to election

Funny enough, he’s the same dude that gave Igbos October 1st, 2017 deadline to leave the north. This same dude supported Atiku massively in the last election. He works directly for Atiku and he’s spewing nonsense all over the place just to push for a possible Atiku run in 2023. He’s a political hustler pushing the narrative that suits his pay masters. He doesn’t speak for the north and should be ignored.

Mugu

Na wa ooo

Bialegend:

After all these long epistle, which region do you think should rule the zoo after Jubril?

If you have a child that's misbehaving, and you disown such child, you might tell anyone that the child isn't yours, but DNA test wouldn't agree with you.

In the same way, you may have disowned Nigeria, but to the international community, you're still a Nigerian.

As long as this is still your reality, endeavour to promote the brand Nigeria positively.

Compared to Europe, America is a shithole in all ramifications, but the way American citizens promote the brand USA will make you think it's the garden of Eden from the Bible.

As long as you're a Nigerian to the international community, promote what you have as the best, even if it's not.

Bialegend:

Stop speaking in tongue. Tell us which region you think should take over after Jubril.

Whichever region wins a plurality of votes

I am Northerner


I will support a Yoruba man for president come 2023


Yerima is one of El Rufai's watchdog

Our alliance is still intact

What Yerima is saying is that by 2023 Yoruba votes will return to their traditional regional 5%.
nO be me talk am but una don hear am.

fk002:
I am Northerner


I will support a Yoruba man for president come 2023


Yerima is one of El Rufai's watchdog

Our alliance is still intact

Which part of north are u from ? Kogi or kwara

.

mrvitalis:

Which part of north are u from ? Kogi or kwara

Why pick the 2 states? Is it because they are Yoruba's close cousins?

fk002:


Why pick the 2 states? Is it because they are Yoruba's close cousins?

Answer the question

mrvitalis:

Answer the question

I am from Borno state.

fk002:


I am from Borno state.

Swear by the future of your kids u are from brono

fk002:


I am from Borno state.

Swear by the future of your kids u are from borno

mrvitalis:

Swear by the future of your kids u are from brono

Yoruba will be our president come 2023 QED.

fk002:



Yoruba will be our president come 2023 QED.

See this one claiming north

fk002:



Yoruba will be our president come 2023 QED.

Na with una 4 million votes ? If u want poor drag it with broth shabi power is not given ......

Yoruba sense is always so foolish i swear

mrvitalis:

Na with una 4 million votes ? If u want poor drag it with broth shabi power is not given ......

Yoruba sense is always so foolish i swear

The agreement Is based on power rotation between North and South. We Northerners will handover to the south after 8 years that was the agreement in 2015.

Is left for you southerners to reach consensus when the time comes.

SE SS SW will battle for it but the way I see things SW has upper hand.