…CSOs coalition storms APC, demands zoning of ticket to South

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

A coalition of civil society groups, yesterday, stormed headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to demand that the ruling party zones the presidential ticket to the southern part of the country.

The protesters, bearing banners and placards with various inscriptions barricaded the Blantyre Street housing the APC secretariat, and grounded vehicular movements.

The coalition’s President, Bassey-Etuk Williams, said they did not limit their protest to only the APC but also all registered political parties recognised by INEC.

“We are apolitical as an organisation and our members spread across the length and breadth of the country. The coalition has continued to work towards promoting interventions intended to uplift and sustain democracy, good governance and national unity. The coalition does these through advocacy, sensitisation and lobbying.

“This letter is one of those efforts aimed at lobbying for a southern president in the 2023 presidential election. The coalition considered the current political situation and the need for the nation’s unity not to be threatened because of 2023 elections, hence our resolve to get involved and save the country from a possible instability and crisis.

“Considering the issue of zoning or rotation of the office of the office of the president, we wish to appeal to APC leadership to consider and concede to the southern part of the country the right to produce the party’s presidential candidate for 2023 presidential election.

“By this patriotic call, we do not intend to undermine your right as a political party or your party’s constitution. We respect the wishes and aspiration of your party and the citizens of the Nigeria. However, we are persuaded by the state of the nation as it concerns the unity and stability of out dear country.

“Our visit to your party secretariat today is to lend our support to the call for power shift to the southern part of the country; we hereby urge the great men and women of the APC to heed this patriotic call.

“The APC, no doubt, has a great role to play in ensuring we remain one united and indivisible nation before and after 2023 elections. It is on the strength of the above that we march here in our thousands to submit our petition on the imperatives of a presidential candidate of southern Nigeria extraction in 2023 on the platform of APC. On power rotation we stand,” the group said.