Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Director-General Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has commended the governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-rufia, for honourably and patriotically joining the advocacy for the continuation of the rotation convention which midwifed the 4th Republic Nigeria.
In a statement he issued in Abuja on Monday, the DG described the governor’s advocacy as a patriotic statement from one of the most qualified northerner, who ordinarily could have placed personal interest above the equity, natural justice and good conscience.
El-rufia had in the said interview stated that; “the general political consensus in Nigeria is that the presidency should rotate between the North and South. It is not written but everyone understands it.
“In some of the parties, like the PDP, it is even written down in their constitution but it was breached in 2015. I think that every politician of honour should understand and abide by that consensus except there is an extenuating circumstance compelling it to be set aside. What could this be?”
However, reacting to the statement credited to El-rufia, the NAN DG, said: “Am impressed when I read in one of the national newspapers, Nasir El-rufia’s support for the continuation of the rotation convention which midwifed our 4th Republic and no doubt cemented equity, natural justice and good conscience.
“I sincerely commend and thank him immensely. To me, this is a patriotic statement from one of the most qualified northerner, who ordinarily could have placed personal interest above the equity, natural justice and good conscience, which the rotation convention engenders.
“His selfless stance is why one commends him for his uncommon patriotism. Malam Elrufia no doubt is eminently qualified as one of the most performing governors in this dispensation,” Okechukwu quipped.
Reminded that Governor El-rufia didn’t mention which of the south the rotation should go to, Okechukwu argued that: “the most important thing is that Malam El-rufia as a major political actor, foremost northerner, foundation member of the APC, and a Buharist, joining the agitation for continuation of the rotation convention of presidency from north to south is a vital plus, plus.
“All we of the southeast is adding is that we deserve the Falae/Obasanjo model, where the two main candidates should come from the two dominant political parties -APC and PDP. For in the southern belt, Ndigbo or the southeast in particular is the only geopolitical zone which has not presided over over Nigeria since the advent of the rotation convention. All equity and good conscience perspective agree that it’s the turn of Ndigbo.”
He dismissed the issue raised by some prominent politicians like Isa Funtua that Ndigbo are not in the mainstream and are agitating for secession, and therefore should not count themselves when the issue of president is being discussed.
“The southeast or Ndigbo are core foundation members of both the APC and PDP, so nobody should use that as an excuse. We are uncountable in all the political parties and have eminent members. Otherwise how many Yorubas voted for Olusegun Obasanjo In 1999?
“On the issue of agitation for secession, God knows that the agitators are the fringe elements of the southeast mainstream. The main question is which ethnic group invests in other geopolitical zones more than Ndigbo?
“None, we live and invest in all the nooks and crannies of our dear country. We are true patriots and deserve all the laurels due to us. Nigeria president of Igbo extraction will signal the end of the civil war,” he said in the statement.