2023: Atiku, Tambuwal, Kwankwaso In Hot Soup As Afenifere, Ohanaeze rejects Northern Candidates

2023: Atiku, Tambuwal, Kwankwaso In Hot Soup As Afenifere, Ohanaeze rejects Northern Candidates

The Southern and Middle Belt Forum have made assertions that all political parties zone their presidential ticket to the South.

Following this assertions, Atiku, Tambuwal, Kwankwaso might be in trouble because the decision is not in their favor.

The politicians include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who had contested for presidency on three occasions, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and an ex-governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Kwankwaso, while featuring on Sunday Politics, a current affairs programme on Channels Television on Sunday, dismissed the power rotation between the North and the South.

But the Southern and Middle Belt Forum, which comprises Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; the South-East socio-political group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; and the Middle Belt Forum, urged all parties to zone their presidential ticket to the South ahead of the 2023 presidential election, adding that the South and the Middle Belt would not vote for a northern presidential candidate in 2023.

The demand is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting of the leadership of the groups in Abuja on Thursday.

The communiqué was signed by elder statesmen, Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Ayo Adebanjo (leader of Afenifere), Prof. George Obiozor (President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo) and Dr Pogu Bitrus (National President, Middle Belt Forum).

Also at the event were the National Chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, Senator Emmanuel Essien, as well as former governors and ministers.

The communiqué further read, “The northern part of the country would have fully enjoyed the office of the Presidency of the country for the full statutory period of eight years by 2023, hence, the Presidency should rotate to the South.

“Therefore, we unequivocally, and in full resolve, call on all political parties in the country to zone their presidential tickets to the South and advise that any political party that does not zone its presidential ticket to the South should not expect support from the four regions.”