A Coalition of Northern Youth under the auspices of Osinbajo Awareness Campaign, (OAC) have expressed support for power shift to the South, throwing their weight behind the presidential ambition of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, even though he is yet to officially declare his interest for the number one seat in the country.
The Northern Governors’ Forum had in September opposed the call by their Southern counterparts that Nigeria’s presidency should move to the South in 2023.
However, the National Coordinator of the coalition, Mubarak Haruna while launching the group’s Secretariat in Kano, Sunday, rejected calls to retain power in the North by some Northern groups and politicians.
The ruling party, All Progressives Congress, (APC) should rather consider a power shift to the South if the party truly believes in sustaining a very united federation, Haruna said.
He explained that the group has the plan to mobilize 20 million votes across the 19 Northern states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in solidarity with the Vice President, noting that the Vice President is the only tested and trusted candidate “that can continue the good works started by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
According to Haruna, the group has also launched its vehicles to drive intensive campaigns across the Northern part of the country and drum support for the candidacy of Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“We are launching the awareness campaign across the Northern states to mobilize support for Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo towards making him our next president.
“None of us has ever met him in person but from all we know, we are convinced that the Vice President is the only tested and trusted candidate that can continue the good works started by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is obvious that Professor Osinbajo is a visionary leader, a patriotic citizen whose loyalty to one indivisible Nigeria is never in doubt; he is a detribalised Nigerian who is widely accepted, irrespective of religion and tribe across the country. We would support him make sure he wins,” Haruna added.
