Northern Elders Blast Akeredolu Over Comment On 2023 Presidency

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has bombed Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State over his comment on the 2023 presidency.

Naija News reports that Akeredolu had claimed that any political party that fields a Northern presidential candidate in 2023 would lose the election.

He maintained that in the spirit of fairness and justice, the person to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari should be a Southerner as the North would have completed eight straight years of leadership by 2023.

The governor spoke on Tuesday at his office in Akure the Ondo State capital when he played host to members of a group, Power Rotation Movement, led by its Chairman, Dr Pogu Bitrus, who also doubles as the Chairman, Middle Belt Forum.

Reacting to Akeredolu’s comment, NEF Spokesman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the comment made by the Ondo governor could cause political tension in the country.

The NEF spokesman asserted that every northerner has the right to compete and contest for the presidential seat in 2023, stressing that the governor has no right to close the door against a Northern candidate.

Baba-Ahmed disclosed that the North could equally take a similar position by canvassing support for a northern candidate against the South.

He stressed that the threats and intimidation by the governor and the Southern leaders will make the North relinquish power to the South in 2023.

The NEF spokesman added that such utterances will only make the country suffer because Nigerians will end up selecting leaders and not competent leaders.