Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), Chief Edwin Clark, has urged northern aspirants to not contest in the upcoming 2023 presidential election.
The nationalist specifically called on former vice president Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; among others to desist from contesting for presidency, in the best interest of the unity of the country.
Clark, in a statement said after the eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, the northern region would have ruled the country for 45 out of its 61 years as a nation in both civilian and military dispensations.
He noted that no northerner should consider contesting in the 2023 presidential election, saying that the ambitions could invite chaos.
This is coming amid reports that Atiku is planning to declare his intention to contest in the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku met with former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in his hilltop Minna residence behind closed door on Tuesday. Addressing journalist after the meeting, the former vice president said he will make his intentions on the upcoming presidential election known in due course.
However, Clark in a statement he made available to the media on Tuesday, warned northern politicians who are contemplating contesting the 2023 presidential election to abandon their plans, saying that to continue with ambitions is to invite chaos.
The statement reads, “Firstly, I wish to use this medium to advise my most respected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftains in the persons of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State, and other PDP aspirants from the north, that in the interest of maintaining the unity of this country to which they have contributed so much, to re-consider their desire of wanting to contest for the Presidential election in 2023, because both by the PDP Constitution and by convention, it is now the turn of Southern Nigeria to produce the President of Nigeria, in 2023, after President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years.
“To do otherwise is to invite chaos, which will lead to the disintegration of our dear country.
“Zoning has been practised in the nation’s policy even before Independence, when Tafawa Balewa, in 1954, was the Prime Minister, Nnamdi Azikiwe was the Governor-General. Zoning of political offices, particularly the Presidency of the country, is the best antidote to the breakup of Nigeria, and the panacea for peace and unity of the country.
“One of the reasons why the north opposed Chief Anthony Enahoro’s motion for independence in1953, was that they felt they were not equal to the South in education; that they were not in a position to produce proportional candidates who will run an independent government with the south because, at that time, they had only about 4 graduates. They subsequently walked out of the Parliament, went back to the north, and swore never to return to Lagos again. That was what led to the Constitutional Conferences held both at the Lancaster House in London and at Ibadan, Nigeria, purposely to keep Nigeria one. The impression was that no one group or section of the country should dominate the government of Nigeria at the expense of other parts of the country.”
“Because of this zoning consideration, northerners did not want him to continue and contest the election in 2011. They objected to his appointment as Acting President of the country. I remember, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, the father of Dr. (Sheikh) Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, came to my house and pleaded with me to ask Dr Jonathan to step down for a northerner because it was the turn of the north. That Dr Jonathan should, in fact, be a Vice President to another northerner who should take the place of Dr Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and that when the north had finished, then Dr Jonathan could come back and become the President of the country.
“My response to him was that that will be against the Constitution of Nigeria, which provides that when the Office of the President becomes vacant either by death, or by illness, or any other occurrence, the Vice President shall take over, under Section 15 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“The opposition against Dr Jonathan was from various quarters; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Dr Bukola Saraki were major parts of that opposition, which was carried through the 2015 Presidential elections.
“Though it was his constitutional right to re-contest in 2015, to complete the eight years, as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Dr Jonathan’s succeeding late Dr Yar’Adua, did not obliterate his right to seek a second term.
“Nevertheless, the northerners still felt Dr Jonathan should not contest the 2015 election because it was their turn. Hence most of the northerner leaders, including Governors and politicians from the PDP decided to support Muhammadu Buhari and even contributed funds to his campaign, including the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Dr Bukola Saraki.
“Most PDP leaders, from the north, who collected campaign money from the party did not use the money for the purpose. There were only a few exceptions among the northern leaders of the PDP. That was why I said that it was ‘PDP that defeated PDP in the 2015 Presidential election.”
