By Saidu Idris
365Daily – The Nigeria Equity Group (NEG) has faulted the recent call by the Muslims Right Council (MURIC), for a Yoruba Muslim to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari who will complete his second and final term in office in 2023.
MURIC had, in a recent statement, argued that Christians from the Southwest have had their fair share of leadership in the country and that the Presidency in 2023 should be reserved for a Muslim from the Southwest.
NEG, however, kicked against this position, saying it would go against the principles of rotation of power championed by the political class to ensure balance, equity and fairness in the country.
The NEG, a civil society group that advocates for equity in the Nigerian political space, argued that the principle rotation of power also applies to the two major faiths of Christianity and Islam.
‘’Given that the current President is a Muslim and from the North, fairness, justice and equity demand that, based on the principles of rotation of power between the North and South, the next president should be a Christian from the South,’’ the NEG insisted in a statement signed by its National Convener, Dr Emeka Nwosu.
It added: “The position of the NEG is that it would be against the rule of natural justice, equity and fairness, that another Muslim should succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. For emphasis, we reiterate that the only way to guarantee enduring peace, progress and stability in Nigeria is for the next President to be a Christian from the South.
”We would, therefore, like to urge the MURIC to consider the wider dimensions of the 2023 presidential power rotation, which involves all the Southern States, as against only the South West.”