By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – The Nigeria Equity Group (NEG) has said that for equity, fairness and inclusion, the next president of Nigeria come 2023, should not only be from the Southern part of the country, but also a Christian.
According to NEG, the only way to truly promote fairness and inclusion in Nigeria’s diverse and complex society, especially at this time of unprecedented national crisis, is for power to shift to a Southern Christian in 2023.
Anything other than that, it argued would further exacerbate the “rifts and wounds that have become more evident lately and not bode well for our country.”
The group which described itself as, pan-Nigeria and non partisan, made this demand in Abuja at a press conference addressed by its National Chairman, Dr. Emeka Nwosu and National Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak, on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.
The NEG applauded the recent resolution of the Southern Governors Forum on the necessity for power shift to the South.
The Forum, led by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akerodolu, the Governor of Ondo State, had argued in its communique after its recent meeting in Lagos, that for the sake of equity, fairness and to further strengthen the principle of rotation, power must shift to the South in 2023, after the eight-year rule of President Muhammadu Buhari, a Northern Muslim.
The group quoted the Governors thus: ‘’The forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unanimously agrees that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern and Northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the southern region.’’
Dr. Nwosu said, “We thank the Southern Governors for speaking with one voice and for demonstrating boldness in making the call for presidential power shift to the South in 2023. We are excited that our position and campaign which we began over a year ago has been validated and is finding expression in diverse voices.
“We note that this position has found support too in Northern politicians of goodwill who are fair-minded, such as the Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum. Zulum said, quite frankly that: “I have said it times without number that I, Professor Babagana Zulum, I am of the view that the presidency should go to the south in the year 2023 because the unity of our country is very important.”
“We welcome this gradual shift towards a consensus on a Southern presidency in 2023. It is good for the unity, stability and diversity of our country. It will further strengthen the principle of rotational presidency and promote inclusion in our body polity.”
He went further to note that the “call for a Southern presidency in 2023 by the Southern Governors did not go far enough. The country is at the moment riven by strife, stoked by religious distrust, suspicion and fear of domination. Things have become so bad that only a delicate balancing in 2023 can begin to redress these anomalies and restore faith and hope in the country again.
“Nigeria’s population is divided almost in equal half by the adherents of the two major faiths of Christianity and Islam. Since 1999 with the return of democratic rule, power has interchanged at the highest level between practitioners of these two faiths, ensuring that there is balance and inclusion at the highest level of our politics. To a large extent, this has provided some assurance to the heterogeneous groups which make up the country that no faith or group will dominate the other.
“It should not be different in 2023. To shut out Christians, who make up about half of Nigeria’s population from power for 16 years, assuming another Muslim takes over from Buhari, will be grossly unfair and bad politics that will lead to deleterious outcome for the country.
“If that happens, it would mean that no Christian can hope to become President of this country in the foreseeable future. There is a zero chance of a Christian minority emerging president from the North when power shifts there again. The population of the North is overwhelmingly Islamic and the Christian minorities barely feature in the mainstream politics of the region, except in a handful of states.
“Therefore, the only chance of a Christian becoming President in Nigeria is when there is power shift to the South, as it will happen in 2023. We therefore urge the political class to tread carefully and to work towards a Southern Christian consensus in 2023, in order to avert religious strife that will further weaken the bond that binds us.
“Already, the country is beset by all forms of conflicts and problems. The separatist fervor has gone up, the polity is heated and irredentist everywhere are challenging the basis for the unity of the state. We need not add religious crises to the mix of conflicts and problems that we are dealing with now. We need to heal, not bleed more.
“We have very competent Christian politicians, technocrats and leaders, who have the experience and national outlook to lead this country well and treat everyone in a just and fair manner. We call on all the major political parties to put the peace and stability of the country first this time by reserving their presidential tickets for competent and experienced Southern Christians.”