Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the North Central Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for zoning of the presidency to the southern part of the country.
The group, led by Mr. Kassim Muhammed, argued that it would be fair and just to concede the presidential ticket of the APC to the southern part of the country after the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.
Muhammed, who addressed reporters at the national secretariat of APC in Abuja, therefore, urged Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to drop his presidential bid.
The council enjoined party chieftains to cede the chairmanship of the party to the North Central geopolitical zone of the country.
“The reasons for this agitation stemmed from the fact that the North West, as presently constituted, has produced the sitting president of the country who is still left with two years to complete his second term of eight years in office.
“The North East is presently occupying the position of Senate president, and the only geo-poitical zone in the North that is left left is the North Central. For fairness and equity, the position of national chairmanship of the party should be zoned to the North Central
“The North Central Council is equally appealing to the governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to have a rethink over his 2023 presidential ambition as it would be fair, in the spirit of one Nigeria, to allow the southern part of the country to produce the next president come
2023,” the group said.
The council expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee of the APC, “considering the fact that the party is now peaceful, with daily influx of members of the opposition political parties.”
Specifically, Muhammed said “the Buni leadership was able to woo a sitting governor, David Umahi of Ebonyi State on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform, with all the structures of the party, into the fold of APC.
“APC, under the watchful eyes of Buni, was also able to bring into the APC fold two former speakers of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Dimeji Bankole, as well as former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel.
“It is also gratifying to note that the Buni- led APC was able to bring back a former national chairman of PDP, Senator Barnabas Gemade, and a large number of former and serving members of the National Assembly across the country to swell the ranks of the ruling APC.”
