The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Thursday expressed its full support for the position of Southern Governors’ Forum, SGF, on the need for power to shift to the South come 2023 as reiterated by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Tuesday.
The group in a statement by its National Publicity, Comrade Jare Ajayi, said its position emanated from the criticism of Akeredolu by the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG.
Akeredolu had reiterated the position of the Southern governors that the presidency must shift to the southern part of the country in 2023 and went further to say that any political party that fielded a Northern candidate would fail.
However spokespersons of ACF and CNG, Mr Emmanuel Yawe and Mr Abul-Azeez Suleiman, in their reactions descended heavily on him with the CNG even insinuating alleged hatred for the North.
But Ajayi dismissed the ACF and CNG’s vilification, stating that the governor’s position was in line with that of the ethnic nationalities particularly in the four zones in the country, namely South West, Middle Belt, South East and the South South.
According to him, Akeredolu’s declaration reflected the desire of the majority of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria particularly those in the four geo-political zones as represented by their respective organisations, Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Ohaneze NdIgbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, who collectively formed the South and Middle Belt Leadership Forum, SMBLF.
He maintained that Akeredolu’s view was very much in line with the position of the SMBLF as further reiterated at its recent meeting in Abuja where all political parties in the country were urged to field candidates of southern extraction for the purpose of 2023 presidential election.
He said, “Governor Akeredolu spoke our minds when he said that ‘only a party that is determined to lose will field a Northern candidate. This position was very much in line with the resolution of the SMBLF as reiterated at its last meeting held in the house of its National Leader, Pa Edwin Clark.”
Afenifere then advised both the ACF and CNG to purge themselves of the notion that some people, particularly the South hated the North, saying “Nigeria belongs to all of us. The path we are treading is the one that will foster unity, fairness and harmonious relationship.
“As succinctly put by Governor Akeredolu, what we, along with the Southern Governors stand for is fair and equitable power rotation. The only fair thing is that after eight years in the North, Presidency should come to the South.”
While reflecting the feelings of the ethnic nationalities’ group, he charged ACF and CNG to prevail on those within its midst whose utterances and actions were threatening the unity of the country.
Ajayi mentioned the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Babazango, from Adamawa State, who allegedly threatened violent attack against Mr. Vincent Umeh, for buying property near his house in Adamawa State.
He said it was a matter of great concern that a public officer in the rank of a DCP who is living in Lagos, could be threatening violence against a fellow Nigerian for buying a property near his own simply because he is from the Southern part of the country.
“If every other person insisted on having only a fellow tribesman or woman as his/her neighbour, how are we going to have the much desired unity in the country?”, Ajayi asked
