No political party with a candidate from the North will win the presidential election in 2023, Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has warned.
Playing host to members of Power Rotation Movement (PRM), the governor said those pushing against the power rotation in the country endangering the country by tinkering with its existence, adding that governors from the South were determined to ensure that the next President would be produced from the section for the sake of fairness and equitable Nigeria.
Akeredolu said: “In about two or three meetings, we have come out and declared that power must move to the south. Only a party that is determined to lose will field a Northern candidate. You are now a movement of members of political parties coming together.
“What we stand for is fair and equitable power rotation. The only thing fair is that after 8 years in the north, it should come to the south.
“Some of us believe in One Nigeria that’s fair and equitable. We have a reason for it and it can be defended. Some people have argued that the Presidency should be based on competence. Are they saying there are no competent ones in the south?
“My brother Governors from the south, all of us are determined. Whosoever we pick, for as long as it is south, we will support him.
Pogu Bitrus, who led the delegation, while informing the governor that their objectives were on all four with the position of his colleagues from the south, further explained that the movement was passionate about power rotation, and that an intensive mobilisation had commenced to actualise their goal
Bitrus, who is the chairman of the organisation and also chairman, Middle Belt Forum, was accompanied by the Co-chairman, Collins Ihekire, a retired General, representing the Ohaneze Ndigbo and the National Organising Secretary of Afenifere.
Others in the delegation also included: Kole Omololu; representative of Yoruba Council of Elders, Ayodele Oni; National Publicity Secretary of Afenfere, Comrade Jaye Ajayi; National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Ken. Robinson; and Comrade Kennedy Iyere, National Coordinator of Power-shift Movement & Forty Million Ballots ( a movement being driven by the Youth) among others.
“We are passionate believers that power should rotate in this country and should move from the north to the south. We launched the 40 million ballot movement. That’s the sensitization of the youth. We launched it for our youth to key in.
“Leaders in the south and middle belt met in Abuja and agreed that power should rotate to the South, that the middle belt and the south should move against any party that fields any candidate outside the southern part of the country,” he told his host.
