John Adams, Minna
Former Commissioner for Information and Culture and a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, has thrown his weight behind the Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai who recently called for a power shift to the South in 2023, saying that it is the only thing that would guarantee peace and corporate existence of Nigeria as a country.
His words: “People like us have said this before but some selfish politicians thought that our voice does not count, now that people like El-Rufai has seen wisdom in it and has come out to declare his support for power shift to the south. I think we should commend him.”
Vatsa, a former Spokesperson of the party in the state insisted that the only way out of Political instability in the country is to allow power to shift, not only to the south but also the south east.
Speaking in an interview with our Correspondent in Minna on Friday, Vatsa called on politicians from the North to stop thinking that Leadership is their birthright, and wonder what impact has leadership in the north on the ordinary man on the street.
“Everything is not based on Constitution. What we are after is Political stability in the country and if we have to achieve this, there must be rotation of Power between the North and the South,” Vatsa declared
He said Governor Nasir Elrufai’s call for the shift of Power to the South come 2023 should be highly commended and seen as a patriotic move, adding that:
“The so called northern youth attacking El-Rufai over his submission are the greatest victim of power in the north.
“Today the north has the greatest number of unemployed youths in the country yet power is in the north and these do not know that the power in the north does not impact on them in anyway.
“The Youth said El-Rufai is supporting southern Presidency because he is looking for Vice president and I asked, is there anybody that is more qualified than El-Rufai as a Vice President today, going by his experience and track record of his achievements,” he queried.
The Northerners, he warned, should forget about producing the next President for the country after Buhari’s tenure in 2023.
“We the Northerners should not see Presidency as a birth right. The moment Buhari finishes his tenure, the Presidency should shift from the North to the South and south east in particular that will make other parts of the country to believe that they are also part of the Country.”
He also admitted that it was the opposition party – the PDP, that brought about Rotational Presidency.
“I think PDP meant well for the country. They did it in good faith so that there should be equity, Transparency and Fairness.
“Instead of condemning the arrangement of Peoples’ Democratic Party, (PDP’s) rotatational ideology, I think we should praise the Party for the step taken.
“Some States across the country have also key into the rotation as the Governorship is being rotated amongst various Zones in some States and this idea is bringing unity and harmony in these states and this is making everybody to have a sense of belonging.
“So the North should stop talking and should stop thinking that after President Buhari the next President is going to be a Northern, it is a lie. This is one of the things that can destroy the country if care is not taken,” he declared.