By Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, OYC, Worldwide has commended Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai for supporting rotational presidency, with the 2023 slot tilting to the South.
Media reports have been attributed to the governor, as saying that though rotational presidency between the North and the South was an unwritten law, there was the need for it to rotate to the South, with the North now serving for the second term.
Responding to El-Rufai’s position, the Council, in a statement by Mazi Okechukwu isiguzoro and Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, President General and Secretary General, respectively, made available to Newsdiaryonline on Monday, said El-Rufai had conceded to his conscience by defying all factors to be sincere.
“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, OYC, Worldwide has lauded governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El Rufai for his sincerity by conceding to his conscience that the unwritten principle of rotational presidency between North and South, should be respected and honoured in 2023.
“El-Rufai has buried all instigation and fears that North should succeed President Muhammadu Buhari by 2023. This pragmatic move has made the clamour of Northern Elders Forum and Arewa Youths grandstanding on North, not relinquishing power in 2023, inconsequential and irrelevant.
“OYC urges Ango Abdullahi led Northern Elders Forum and Yerima Shettima led Arewa Youths, to emulate their political leaders, especially Governor El Rufai, who had previously advocated for jettisoning of zoning but retracted his steps and agreed with OYC’s stance on rotational presidency and bowed to his conscience,” the statement read.
The Council further said that this was the time that a president would emerge from the Southeast.
“Definitely it is the time to bring in a Nigerian President of Igbo Stock 2023,a new Zik of Africa will emerge.
Ohanaeze also said it had “studied diligently the circumstances surrounding the establishment of Southeast Security outfit and weighed the options of community policing as a vehicle to proffer solutions to the zone on insecurity challenges facing Igbos.
“OYC insists that Southeast governors are right to opt for community policing instead of Regional Security Outfit OGBUNIGWE. After our consultative meetings with Igbo traditional rulers and youth leaders, to review the possibilities and circumstances surrounding the establishment of security outfit, OGBUNIGWE.
“Since OYC was the initiator of Operation OGBUNIGWE, we have been informed by powers that be in the southeast of why Southeast governors opted for community policing and suspended the initial support for OGBUNIGWE,” they posited and called on “Igbos to support the decision of the Southeast governors as its the best option to tackle insecurity challenges in the Southeast.”
