2023: Power Must Shift To South — Middle Belt Forum

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), on Sunday, warned those clamoring that the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari should come from the North should shelve the idea in the interest of the country.

The organization said the solution to the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria especially insecurity is a power shift from the North to the South in 2023. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, the national president of the forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu pointed out that some Nigerians still have the mentality of slavery and strong belief that the North must have its way irrespective of the circumstances on the ground.

He said that the insecurity in the North was the creation of some elite, who are out to make life unbearable for the common man in an attempt to promote their interests.

Pogu said: “Rational thinking persons should be tired of leadership in the North though many voices in the North have come up to say zoning or rotation is the solution to the problem on the ground in Nigeria. We are saying let the presidency go to the South and we stand by our position.

“The right thing to do is to say the right thing. The North has had its share and we have seen what the North has done with nearly eight years of the Buhari administration and it is nothing to write home about. The security of lives and property, as well as the welfare of the people which are the primary functions of government and none of these, has been guaranteed by northern leaders.

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“For the North to insist to lead this country in 2023, it means the North is aware of what is happening and it wants it to continue. The voices of reason will continue to tell the north no; we cannot accept another eight years of northern rule. Those clamoring for a northerner to rule again are part of the problems.

“In short, it is like we don’t have a government in place because where you have a government all these atrocities will not be condoned,” he said.

“In 2023, Nigeria needs a leader who believes in Nigeria; a leader that is not nepotic the way we have now; a leader who will obey the rule of law and a detribalized leader that will take the whole country as his constituency.”

On its part, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to desist from working against rotational presidency between the North and South. Ohanaeze stated this in a statement by the Secretary General Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and made available to newsmen.

According to Isiguzoro, continuation of the northern presidency beyond the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari will not augur well for the equity and fairness in the country.

The statement read: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has cautioned desperate politicians working against the gentleman pact of rotational presidency between the North and the South in 2023. They should be aware of the fact that changing the narratives with falsehood and fallacies temporarily for inordinate ambition will have disastrous consequences if achieved by 2023.”