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The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), yesterday, congratulated former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for securing the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 presidential ticket.
SMBLF consists of Afenifere, representing the South West; Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, representing the South East, the Middle Belt Leaders Forum (MBF), representing the Middle Belt and Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), representing the South South.
MBF President, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, said the South East deserved the ticket more than the South West, but that the body is all the same, contended that a southern candidate emerged from the platform of one of the major political parties.
He pledged that members of the forum would work together and ensure that a southern candidate wins the 2023 presidential election.
“One, we commend the APC for selecting a southern candidate, two we congratulate Bola Ahmed Tinubu on winning the ticket, three, we commend President Buhari for keeping to his words, and four we also commend Gov Akeredolu for standing firm on insisting on a southern candidate emerged from their platform. What is important now is how a southern candidate will win the election. We are all committed on the emergence of a southern president in 2023, there are many southern candidates and Tinubu has emerged from the platform of a major party. Going from our analysis, the South East deserved it more than the South West, but all the same we are happy that a southern candidate has emerged from a major political party.”
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi said the emergence of Tinubu on the platform of APC is delightful.
He said the APC has met the “minimum condition of fielding a Southern candidate.”
Afenifere has been in the forefront of organisations advocating power must shift to the southern part of Nigeria come 2023.
“For power to move to the South, there must be southern candidate or candidates. That was why we were strident in our calls on the political parties to field Southern candidates in the forthcoming presidential election.
“It is our hope, indeed our demand, that the next president must get the country restructured immediately on assumption of office if the present administration under retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari failed to do so before leaving office. The next administration owes us the duty of ensuring that the country is not only safe for everybody, the operational system must be such that no section or group would be in a position to dominate the other. In summing up, the emergence of a person of Southern extraction is highly welcomed. It is our hope that this will translate into power shifting to the South come 2023.”
