Northern leaders insist presidency must remain in north in 2023

Leader of Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Prof Ango Abdullahi, on Sunday, said the presidency, must remain in the north beyond 2023.

He noted that critical evaluation of positions of different ethnic groups in the country showed that the North has been short-changed as key positions were not with them.

Abdullahi, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, also maintained that the noise on lopsidedness that favoured the North was not true.

He said there was nothing wrong with the appointment of more Service Chiefs from the region.

He told Daily post that “What we are witnessing is a sad development, very dangerous arguments that are being put forward. How many offices are we even talking about and you are saying lopsidedness of offices?” He was quoted by Sun as saying.

“Have you looked at the offices in the civil service and those that occupy them, so what is the fuss all about? Are they parochial or are they biased in the discharge of duties concerning other parts of the country?

Read also: North’ll never allow any southerner become president in next 20 years —Fani-Kayode

“This is a very sad development because this is driving us into areas that will be very unfortunate for this country.

“The trouble with Nigeria is that we don’t learn from our history and we don’t keep records of history. I have just done an exercise in a booklet form to show appointments of the First Republic since independence in 1960 to date, to show who was in what office and from what area, from what religious faith?

“By the time you see it, you will be sorry asking this kind of question because the question appears to be parochial by those who have such a view and should not arise.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now