The governors of the Southern states were unable to convince the Northeastern Elders Forum (NEF) to agree with their proposal that the presidency be reserved for the Southern region of the country, because the presidency is a democratic office and not a rotating one.
Since to yesterday’s Forum response to the ‘Lagos Declaration’, the North will not be coerced, bullied, or blackmailed into giving up its right to have an elected position, as this should not be done against the will of the people.
Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Director of Publicity and Advocacy for the Forum, put forward the organization’s stance in a statement. According to NEF, for the North, an office that ought to be settled democratically cannot be blackmailed, intimidated, or otherwise coerced into surrendering.
In other words, according to NEF, the choice of the Southern governors to take action reflects the feelings that ought to be considered within a political process. In a democratic system, people will decide which presidential candidate serves their interests.
All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are the two parties that govern in the South, and each of them takes a different approach to the task at hand (PDP). Baba-Ahmed observed that the correct way to handle this situation was for the Southern governors to exert influence on their respective political parties and persuade them to designate the presidency as being Southern and then use political power to persuade all Nigerian voters to vote for that particular candidate.
He said that Nigerian citizens’ democratic rights to vote for a candidate cannot be taken away by threats or intimidation. This became increasingly apparent as the time came closer to the elections.
Sani has taken issue with the other Southern governors’ claims that the next president must be from the South. Stating that he considered his decision to be unlawful and contrary to democracy, he told reporters in Abuja.
Sani, who is running for president in 2023, argues that all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnic and religious background, have the right to dream of occupying the presidential office.
Our Constitution has nothing to say about transferring power from one location to another.” Nigeria’s constitution grants every citizen the right to seek any political office, until the constitution is modified. Even though he is staying in Daura, there is nothing improper with him arguing that he is running for office.
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The total ban on open grazing without availability of alternative alternatives to herders’ misery will lead to disaster for Nigeria.
To me, an absolute ban on subsistence farming is like prohibiting cutlasses and hoes without an available substitute. He went on to say that any law that cannot be put into practice is worthless and of no benefit to society.
Arguing in favor of ameliorating environmental degradation caused by oil-producing host communities, he said, “Given the 13% derivation for environmental degradation reduction, any extra provision for oil-producing host communities (such as five or three percent) amounts to double provisions.” In our view, making another provision for host communities is a waste of money. Instead, a better use of resources would be to invest in the care and improvement of the host community’s environment.
Despite disagreements between governors of the 17 Southern states, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) also felt that governments in the north should shift authority. Forcing a regional relocation of the Presidency by means of unprincipled gang warfare is undemocratic. According to the spokesperson for the organization, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, yesterday, this was said in a statement that he published in Abuja.
North Korea’s status as a key player in North Korean affairs is secure, but the North will not allow its people and its human population to be taken for granted.”
To state this matter plainly, we categorically affirm that the North will not be pressured or bribed into deciding whether or not to rotate the presidency and shall stand firm in our assertion that only a capable and competent individual should become president in 2023, regardless of his or her political background.
We inform the Southern Governors and their Northern allies that any effort to saddle the nation with illegitimate leadership by riding on the back of this unsolicited embarrassment to democratic play and the use of crass political tactics will be strongly rebuffed.
We explicitly warn Kashim Shettima, Nasir el-Rufai, and other northern collaborators of the futility of their personal objectives for the vice presidency.
On the other hand, Southern Governors’ Forum chair, Gov. Samuel Ortom, called the move to outlaw open grazing of livestock in the Benue state courageous and patriotic, saying it will solve the conflict caused by armed herdsmen.
On a side note, Ortom also expressed his gratitude to those in Southern Nigeria for supporting their May 11 Asaba Declaration, which calls for an end to open grazing. They have made a firm commitment to ban nomadic cattle rearing, a decision that upholds the worldwide standard of animal husbandry.
Following his government’s firm stand on the rotation of the presidency between the North and South, the governor lauded his colleagues in a statement in which he praised them for their attitude on the issue. Ortom believes that only equity, fairness, and justice can foster unity in Nigeria, bring everyone together, and help people feel a sense of belonging.
