2023: APC, PDP Divided On Power Shift

By Chuks Ekpeneru

A former Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South), has joined the call by some prominent Northern politicians and groups for the presidency to move to the South in 2023.

Ndume said it would amount to third term if the All Progressives Congress (APC) fields a northerner as its presidential candidate in 2023.

According to him, “I, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, I feel that it would not be fair, equitable and just to field a northern candidate for the presidency in APC, 2023

Before him, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, had said that shifting to the South would be just and equitable.

Similarly, some Northern youths under the aegis of the Arewa Youths for Peace and Security (AYPS)  added their voice for South to produce the next President in 2023.

The statement by President of the group, Alhaji Salisu Magaji, disagreed with influential nephew of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Mamman Daura, that competence, and not zoning, should determine the next President.

They said it would be unfair for the north to hold on to power in 2023.

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State who is himself has been reported to be interested in the presidency had earlier advocated power shift to the South.

The call for power shift is, however, not universal in the North as it echoes more in the All Progressives Congress, APC than in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

For the APC the justification for power shift to the South is based on the claim that it cannot be rationalized keeping the presidency after two terms of President Muhammadu Buhari.

It was perhaps to address that that Mamman Daura came out last week to canvass the abandonment of zoning for competence.

However, for the PDP it is conventional wisdom that the party is going to zone its presidency to the North.

That is based on the desperation of the opposition party to win the next presidential election.

Recently, Adamu Atiku-Abubakar, son of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 Presidential election, said that his father would contest for the number one office, come 2023.

In a similar vein, Senator Gabriel Suswan, former governor of Benue State revealed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will zone the position of the president to the North.

For northern politicians like Atiku, Aminu Tambuwal, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and others with presidential ambitions, 2023 may not only be a defining moment for them, but for the country.

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