2023: Southern Nigeria should produce the next president says El-Rufai

Nasir El-Rufai, has said that Nigeria’s next president in 2023 should emerge from the southern part of the country.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Saturday, the Governor said:

“The southern part of the country is supposed to produce the president come 2023; I don’t support a northerner to vie for the seat after President Muhammadu Buhari, based on Nigeria’s political arrangement,” Mr El-Rufai said.

El-Rufai said although the power shift arrangement among the various regions of the country is unconstitutional, it is, however, a political design that must be respected.

“I believe that (there is) no developed country across the world that considers leadership based on where someone comes from. However, in Nigerian politics, there is an arrangement that we all believe on rotational leadership. We are aware of that, anyone who denies that is wrong,” the governor said.

Governor El-Rufai said although he supports power rotation at the national level, he was against a similar arrangement in Kaduna where he is governor.

“In Kaduna, I don’t work with people because they came from a particular zone, rather, I work with you based on your capacity to deliver on a task given to you and your ability to keep public trust,” Mr El-Rufai said.