•Blames Buhari for rise of Kanu,Igboho,others

The National Publicity Secretary of the influential Northern Elders Forum (NEF),Dr.Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has branded proponents of  a southern president in 2023 as lazy politicians who are looking for a shortcut to power.

Baba-Ahmed says while there is nothing  wrong in having a southerner  as Nigeria’s leader  in 2023, those seeking the office and their supporters should launch into ” the hard work of persuading Northerners ” and other Nigerians  to vote for them.

Such aspirants,he says, should assure  voters   that when they eventually get into office they will not become   ” southern or northern president, but a Nigerian president.”

“We don’t want another tribal or regional president,” he told The Nation in an interview in Kaduna.

In his view Nigeria’s  real challenge is having  a “political leadership that is completely undeserving to be leading this country,” and not rotational presidency.

According to the  former Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), voters should be allowed to decide who rules them.

“Power does not return or go anywhere, power is determined by voters; this is why we have a democratic process, we are a democratic country,” he said in response to a question on the recent call by Southern governors that the presidency should return to the south after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.

He adds: ” Voters should decide who they want to vote for.

“Since 1999, Nigerians have been voting; we voted a southern president in 1999 to 2007, we then voted a northern president in 2007 who ruled for only two years and a southern president completed his tenure and was voted again in 2011.

“Then, we voted a northern president in 2015. In all these times, it was the power of the voters that determined who becomes the President.Votes don’t carry regional connotation.

“The democratic process says Nigerians should exercise right, that every Nigerian above the age of 18 is qualified to vote for who they want to be president, that is it. You cannot arm-twist that provision.”

He says even if the political class  decides that  presidential candidates in the next election must come from the south,it cannot “insist that voters from the northern part of the country must vote a southern candidate or that all political parties must field southern candidates.”

Continuing,he says: If we have five parties and one of the parties fields a northern candidate and the northern candidate scores the highest votes, he becomes the President. You cannot force a voter to choose a candidate that is not his choice, just because the candidate comes from a particular region of the country.

“You cannot tie up northern voters completely and totally and say he must not vote for any party that fields a northerner for the position of the president. You need to persuade people, you need to do the hard work of politics.

“People who believe that having a southern presidency is central to the survival of this country should in the name of God get up do the real work of lobbying and politicking and persuade people that the future of this country is contingent on the emergence of a southern president.

“But, you cannot do it by threat, intimidation and blackmail. If you keep pushing this rhetoric that it must be southern president or we will leave this country or the heavens will fall, then northern voters will say, what about my right to choose whoever I want? What do you do with my right? How can you force me to choose a southerner if I have a choice to choose a northerner or southerner?

“That is the point we have been making. You cannot legislate this, it is not in the law.”

Baba-Ahmed believes Buhari is largely responsible for the current separatist agitations in the country by the likes of Nnamdi Kanu of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Yoruba nation activist,Sunday Igboho.

He says: ” All these arguments we are making about lack of inclusion, abusing our diversity, have their roots in the way in which this President runs his government.People don’t feel belong. And the same people who are saying they are not part of the Buhari’s government are now saying give us this presidency. ”

Buhari,in his view, has failed to “address issues that give chance to irredentists, secessionists, adventurers and killers who ride on this idea that this part of the country does not belong to Nigeria and he has failed to reach out and find a way to integrate them into mainstream political system; that is his job.

“You cannot be indifferent to sentiments in South East, you cannot be indifferent to what is happening in Southwest  and still hope that you can run a safe and secure country.

“You ought to have detected this a long time ago and move to nip it in the bud and assure communities that will ordinarily feel that people like Igboho and Kanu have  a case to make.They have no case to make.

” Every element and every community in Nigeria has been sidelined by incompetence, by indifference and by a president who doesn’t think that it is his job to perform the political role of a leader. So that is the mismanagement that people talk about. It is sad and tragic that we are where we are today when we should be stronger politically.We are not.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/2023northerners-cant-be-forced-to-vote-southern-president-baba-ahmed/

True talk.

No region should be forced to vote for a president from another region just because we have an undocumented gentleman understanding of what is called rotational presidency.

However, everything should be based on consultations and negotiations in the process of getting the right candidate that the majority of stakeholders are satisfied with.

I

And who are the people forcing you guys?

So after Buhari would have completed 8 years in 2023 as a Northerner, another Northerner should be president of Nigeria right?

Baba-Ahmed, you get catarrh

Monogamy:
And who are the people forcing you guys?

So after Buhari would have completed 8 years in 2023 as a Northerner, another Northerner should be president of Nigeria right?

Baba-Ahmed, you get catarrh

Helinues, Yes, another Northerner will take over and there's nothing you, Tinibu, Osibanjo or anyone from West coast will do about it!

Nobody should be force to vote out of his will... Voting is a right giving to everybody to choose what he or she wants it doesn't matter the region you come from its your choice

Idiot even if southern say they are not interested in presidency in 2023 you should know that northern Nigeria are in big problem talk on you will follow them dragging presidency in 2023.

Kriss216:

Helinues, Yes, another Northerner will take over and there's nothing you, Tinibu and Osibanjo will do about it!

Says someone from a region that have no balls to contest the same 2023 presidency.

Abeg, let those who are interested in the race to engage not second fiddle dem

Kriss216:

Helinues, Yes, another Northerner will take over and there's nothing you, Tinibu and Osibanjo will do about it!

My guy, remember that we are in a democracy. If the North thinks the way you do, the other regions will behave the same way things happened in 2015 that destroyed the PDP and brought about the emergence of the APC.
EVERYTHING na negotiation and agreement oooo.

Nigeria need to look beyond ethnicity when choosing her leaders. The reason we have the level of nepotism we have today is because we are divided along ethnic and religious line. If we can’t get it right, it’s better the country is divided.

My recommendations are. We stop the rotation, we restructure the country and give each region their own autonomy. If this are not possible then let everyone go their separate ways

Let's be honest.... This "one Nigeria" matter can never work.

Southern politicians are done for.... Especially those foolish ones that has been selling there people to the northerners

no Buhari is the best,After Buhari,they should vote his son,Yusuf Efi Buhari. Ndi Ara!

.

Anybody talking about 2023 without talking about how to tackle the present idiot is not serious

Monogamy:


Says someone from a region that's have no balls to contest the same 2023 presidency.

Abeg, let those who are interested in the race to engage not second fiddle dem

You'll keep playing slave to the Fulanis at the detriment of your brains.

Kriss216:

You'll keep playing slave to Fulanis at the detriment of your brains.

Says someone who wants same Fulani to continue ruling .

Eish

What's the obsession these Northerns have with ruling Nigeria. I have listened to this baba man several times and I still don't understand why he believes power shifting to the South is inimical to the development of Nigeria.
He has never spoken about the killer Fulani herdsmen,the murderous marauding bandits killing people in the North,all he and his group is obsessed about is power shifting to the South.
Baba Ahmed and his co-conspirators should hear it very loud, whether by blackmail,harrassment, secessionist threats or even by outright threat to disrupt activities in Nigeria,power will shift to the South.
Baba Ahmed and his group have shown that Power in Nigeria can only be taken from Northerns by Force or violence.

That's true, but in a free and fair election where you don't take underage almajiris to polling center y'all know that Southern candidate will win any northern candidate

Everything about the north is deception, lies, intrigue and a naked lust for power which ends up doing them no good.

Just take a look at what one of their most educated leaders is saying.

AroleOduduwa2:
Nigeria need to look beyond ethnicity when choosing her leaders. The reason we have the level of nepotism we have today is because we are divided along ethnic and religious line. If we can’t get it right, it’s better the country is divided.

My recommendations are. We stop the rotation, we restructure the country and give each region their own autonomy. If this are not possible then let everyone go their separate ways

Tell that to 12 million core northern voters

Monogamy:
And who are the people forcing you guys?

So after Buhari would have completed 8 years in 2023 as a Northerner, another Northerner should be president of Nigeria right?

Baba-Ahmed, you get catarrh

Northerner will be the next president again and nothing will happen, except maybe that will pave way for the disintegration southern regions have been clamoring for.

Northern oligarchy will do everything and anything it takes to maintain the status quo, take it or leave it northerners own this country.

So stop deceiving yourself

Buhari will shock mumu southerners in 2023.