September 28, (THEWILL) – The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned the position of the Northern Governors Forum on zoning the 2023 presidency to the South.
THEWILL reports that the Governors had on Monday opposed the call by its Southern counterpart that the Presidency should return to the South in 2023.
In their position made known in a communique after their meeting on Monday in Kaduna, , the Governors said that the statement by the Southern Governors on zoning is quite contradictory with the provision of the Constitution.
But in a swift response, Ohanaeze in a statement by its Spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, described the position of the northern governors on zoning as unfortunate.
He said, “If there is any group of people that benefits from the corporate existence of Nigeria, it is the North. This is because what northerners bring to the table is far less than what they take from the table. So instead of looking for a way for Nigeria to remain united, develop and grow, they are looking at the way Nigeria will break up. It is simply inconceivable that the North that benefits the most from this country would like the country to break up.
“I have often said that if they are talking of constitutionality, as a matter of fact, there is no place it is written in the constitution, but there is a gentleman agreement about power rotation between the north and south.
“The resolution was reached at the NUC (National Universities Commission) Event Centre at Abuja, and that was when Abdulsalami Abubakar was the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief. It was agreed that power would shift from North to the South and that was why all the parties concentrated on the South and it was zoned to the South-West in 1999.
“After Obasanjo, it went to Yar’Adua from North to Jonathan from South and returned to North, Buhari. So now after Buhari, it is supposed to come down South. That is a gentleman’s agreement. It is unconscionable for the North to begin to talk about the power remaining in the North now.”
Ogbonnia said Ohanaeze stands with the southern governors that power should come down to the South in 2023.
“So it is unfortunate that they will be trying to go contrary to the views expressed and demanded by the southern governors. As far as I am concerned, the position of the Southern Governors is Ohanaeze’s stand. Ohanaeze stands with the southern governors that power should come down to the South.
“I don’t want to believe that the northerners are happy with what is happening in the country today. Only a person who is happy with what is happening will be talking about efforts that will bring about crisis and disunity. What is happening in Nigeria today is a result of injustice and inequity. Instead of trying to ameliorate the situation and bring about the desired change based on equity, fair play and somebody will be very busy orchestrating more injustice.”
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