The pan-northern socio-political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum, on Wednesday, came hard on Ondo State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), for declaring that any political party that fielded a northern candidate in the 2023 presidential election would lose.
The group argued that the governor, being a senior legal practitioner, should know better when it comes to electing anyone to occupy the nation’s coveted seat.
The governor, while receiving members of a group, the Power Rotation Movement, led by the Chairman, Pogu Bitrus, who also doubles as the Chairman, Middle Belt Forum, said the 17 governors in the southern part of the country were determined to ensure that the next President comes from the South.
However, the ACF, through its National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, drew the attention of the governor to the constitutional provisions for the emergence of a president in the country.
The ACF’s spokesman said, “Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) should know that any presidential candidate, who intends to win the seat, needs votes from 24 states and not 17 (South) and 19 (North). That is what the constitution says.
“As a very senior lawyer, Governor Akeredolu should know the provisions of the constitution. It is, therefore, not possible for a group of states to come together and say we must produce the president. Anybody eyeing that seat must traverse the country, the North and the South to meet the demands of the constitution.”
Also, a former Secretary-General of the ACF, Anthony Sani, reminded the governor that no zone could produce the nation’s president on its own.
Sani noted that for that reason, the zones must collectively produce the president to ensure the unity of the nation.
The former ACF scribe, while speaking to our correspondent in Kaduna on Wednesday, maintained that threats and intimidation were not part of democratic ethos that could produce a president.
He said, “I hope those who claim fielding a northerner or southerner as presidential candidate for 2023, depending on who’s speaking, are aware of the import of the provisions in the constitution that before one emergences as a president, he must meet two important requirements to wit; secure the majority of votes, and spread by garnering at least 25 per cent of the votes in at least two thirds of the states of the federation, put currently at 24 states.
“Since none of the regions has 24 states, it means none can produce the president with its own votes alone.
“The intention of such provisions is to force political parties and their candidates to go round the whole country and canvass votes. That way, they will interact and break barriers in order to meet the requirements of not only the majority, but also of spread.
“Those who drafted the constitution deliberately made it impossible for a region to use its own votes alone to produce the president.”
“The regions must meet in order to produce the president and further the unity of the nation. So, political parties and candidates are expected to use their campaigns to enable their victory in the elections instead of resorting to threats and intimidation that are not part of the democratic ethos to produce the president.”