North Won’t Be Intimidated Out Of 2023 Presidential Contest – NEF

The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) has said the heavens will not fall if the North retains presidential powers in 2023.

Spokesman of the forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stated this at the weekend while delivering a keynote address at the maiden Maitama Sule Leadership Lecture Series organised by the student wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

Agitations and controversies are raging over which region should produce the next president at the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.

While the North is interested in retaining presidential power in 2023, the Southern political gladiators are agitating for power shift to the region.

Baba-Ahmed, who said northerners are not second-class citizens of Nigeria, added that the North would not accept to serve as a second fiddle come 2023 when the region has the population to go for the first position and win.

He said, “The North is not for sale and northerners will surprise those waiting for them to queue up in 2023 and be given money in exchange for their votes. We have the majority of the votes and democracy says vote who you want. Why should we accept second-class position when we know we can buy form and contest for first class and we will win?

“Why does anybody need to threaten us and intimidate us? We will get that power, but be humble because power comes from God. We inherited leadership, being honest is not being stupid,” he said in affirming that the North would not be intimidated out of the 2023 presidential contest.

“There are Nigerians who believe that because the economy of the North is being crumbled; we are running away from insecurity, we are politically vulnerable, they think they can buy us in 2023. They are making a mistake.

“We are ready for this; we will consider every economic adversity, challenge, we will fix the Northern economy and we are the only one who can fix this Northern economy. For that reason, we are not for sale. We are in the process of rebuilding the North and we will rebuild the North from 2023.

“Whether the North holds power in 2023 or not anybody who wants to break up in this country will say so, they are just looking for excuses. This is democracy, if they don’t like what Nigeria is they will say they want to break up from this country, we don’t pay attention to those people, we are focused on the fact that we are running a democratic system.”

Source: Daily Trust

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