‘Nigeria needs competent leaders not where they come from,’ Yahaya Bello opposes zoning of APC ticket

The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Sunday declared his opposition to the zoning arrangement in the country.

Bello, who featured in a Channels Television programme, Sunday Politics, insisted that Nigeria needed competent leaders to succeed.

He warned that zoning was not the solution to Nigeria’s leadership problem and urged Nigerians to be convinced by the competence and readiness of aspirants vying for the presidency.

The governor also dismissed reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has given the go-ahead for the South to produce the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.

He said: “There is nowhere Mr. President mentioned zoning to the South. Not even in the statements released by his media assistants. It is high time we de-emphasized zoning. In the country today, competence should be the basis.

READ ALSO: Tinubu, Amaechi don’t scare me in APC presidential race – Yahaya Bello

“The country is being bedeviled by insecurity. What the country needs is who secures them. The choice of leaders should not be gauged by where they come from or the religion they practice, but rather by their readiness to serve the country.

“Younger Nigerians and some elders who I call zonal leaders should stop popularizing zoning in the interest of Nigeria. Delegates and supporters should also shine their eyes. It is high time moved past all of these.

“For crying out loud, we have traveled across the country. If you go to America today, they don’t care where Joe Biden comes from. So why are our people holding on to this. Our elite must let Nigeria breathe.”

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