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By Sunday Ani
The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYFC) has lambasted Ohaneze Ndigbo for endorsing the rotational presidency, describing it as a contraption that cannot be found anywhere in Nigeria constitution.
AYFC was responding to Ohaneze’s disagreement with the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who maintained that the choice of the 2023 president should be based on merit rather than the candidate’s zone.
Gov Bello had insisted that since rotational presidency could not be found anywhere in the constitution, merit should be the major determinant for the choice of the 2023 presidential candidate instead of ethno-regional or religious consideration.
A statement by the group on Monday noted that northern leaders and youths would not be intimidated by anyone or stampeded into sheepishly supporting a regional candidate for the nation’s 2023 presidency.
It described as laughable Ohaneze’s claim that Gov Bello was still a student when the likes of late Dr. Abubakar Rimi, Solomon Lar and others advised that power rotation should be adopted.
According to AYCF, Ohaneze’s argument that former President Goodluck Jonathan also enjoyed the presidency due to the rotation principle was not enough reason because it was not even the South-south region’s turn to produce the president at that point in time.
On Ohaneze’s emphasis that morality is ahead of constitutionality, the AYCF said it has goofed; since there is nowhere in a democratic system where moral consideration supersedes the constitution.
The group also reacted to Ohanaeze’s position on the Southern Governors Forum which endorsed power rotation to the South in 2023, saying it does give the Igbo group the license to ignore the democratic processes.
“We, in the AYFC, wish to remind Ohaneze that the North cannot be intimidated ever again, because we’re now more politically-conscious of our democratic rights and freedom and fully prepared to legitimately assert ourselves.
“As for those threatening that they will pull out of Nigeria if the next president did not come from the South, it’s nonsensical because they don’t need to advertise that they’re leaving, when there are provisions in the constitution that give them simple, legal means of breaking away. These empty threats won’t force the North to abandon democratic means of producing Nigerian leaders.
“And we dare any political party in this country to try zoning the 2023 presidency to any ethnic group or region; or try to abandon the democratic process of producing elected leaders for the Nigerian democratic space,” the AYCF stated.
The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYFC) has lambasted Ohaneze Ndigbo for endorsing the rotational presidency, describing it as a contraption that cannot be found anywhere in Nigeria constitution.
AYFC was responding to Ohaneze’s disagreement with the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who maintained that the choice of the 2023 president should be based on merit rather than the candidate’s zone.
Gov Bello had insisted that since rotational presidency could not be found anywhere in the constitution, merit should be the major determinant for the choice of the 2023 presidential candidate instead of ethno-regional or religious consideration.
A statement by the group on Monday noted that northern leaders and youths would not be intimidated by anyone or stampeded into sheepishly supporting a regional candidate for the nation’s 2023 presidency.
It described as laughable Ohaneze’s claim that Gov Bello was still a student when the likes of late Dr. Abubakar Rimi, Solomon Lar and others advised that power rotation should be adopted.
According to AYCF, Ohaneze’s argument that former President Goodluck Jonathan also enjoyed the presidency due to the rotation principle was not enough reason because it was not even the South-south region’s turn to produce the president at that point in time.
On Ohaneze’s emphasis that morality is ahead of constitutionality, the AYCF said it has goofed; since there is nowhere in a democratic system where moral consideration supersedes the constitution.
The group also reacted to Ohanaeze’s position on the Southern Governors Forum which endorsed power rotation to the South in 2023, saying it does give the Igbo group the license to ignore the democratic processes.
“We, in the AYFC, wish to remind Ohaneze that the North cannot be intimidated ever again, because we’re now more politically-conscious of our democratic rights and freedom and fully prepared to legitimately assert ourselves.
“As for those threatening that they will pull out of Nigeria if the next president did not come from the South, it’s nonsensical because they don’t need to advertise that they’re leaving, when there are provisions in the constitution that give them simple, legal means of breaking away. These empty threats won’t force the North to abandon democratic means of producing Nigerian leaders.
“And we dare any political party in this country to try zoning the 2023 presidency to any ethnic group or region; or try to abandon the democratic process of producing elected leaders for the Nigerian democratic space,” the AYCF stated.
