The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), says Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, is a big threat to democracy in Nigeria following his comments that any party who fields a northern candidate for the presidency in 2023 will lose the election.
Akeredolu, who is also the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum (SGF), while receiving members of the Power Rotation Movement (PRM), in his office in Akure on Tuesday, had reiterated the need for parties to field southern candidates, insisting that it was the turn of the south to produce the next Nigerian President.
“Any political party that fields presidential candidates from the north would lose the election because such candidate would not have the support of the southern governors.
“Those pushing against power rotation in the country are toying with the existence of Nigeria,” he had said.
However, in a statement on Thursday by its spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the CNG said the Ondo governor as well as the Southern Governors Forum should be cautioned as their stance was capable of threatening Nigeria’s democracy.
According to the CNG, as far as the North was concerned, “the idea that we would be directly or indirectly threatened or intimidated or blackmailed into yielding an office which ought to be settled democratically is not acceptable.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, no amount of threats and intimidation from the South would change the minds of northerners regarding zoning,” the apex Northern group said.
“Any president to be elected should be done democratically and not by unnecessary empty expressions by anyone from whatever region and of whatever status,” the CNG added.
The group also warned that “persistent threats from self-appointed enemies of the North are unconstitutional and reckless,” adding that Akeredolu constitutes a threat to the nation’s democracy.
“They are empty threats that won’t work.
“The North will not be deterred by empty, provocative statements from Akeredolu and groups in the South, who believe in threats and hate campaigns as the hallmark or defining elements for elections,” the Northern coalition said.
