Salihu Tanko Yakasai, a former media aide to Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, has argued that the South-West and not the South-East or South-South deserves the APC presidential ticket come 2023.
Yakasai made the claim when he appeared on a breakfast television show, The Arise Morning Show, on Friday.
According to him, “This is a very crucial issue not just for the APC but for Nigerians and the political stability of the country. I am of the view that, particularly in the APC, that power should rotate to the South and even in the South, I am of the opinion that the candidate of the APC should come from the Southwest in particular. And I have my reasons for saying that.
“The reason is simply. I know what the southwest, in particular, contributed to the victory of the APC in the 2015 elections. Even in the formation of the party, they contributed immensely and even if you look at the major contenders in the APC, they are from the Southwest. So, I see no reason the rest of the party should not put its weight behind any candidate of their choice from the Southwest in particular in order to produce the next candidate for the APC in the general election.
“I think what has heated the polity recently is the remark by the Southern Governors Forum which they have made twice but which is unconstitutional.
“Apart from one Governor from the North who has indicated his interest, there has not been any such indication from the APC as a party that it wants to retain power in the North and that is why I fault the Southern Governors.
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“That gentleman agreement has been there since 1999 and I see no reason it should not be upheld in 2023.
“I am saying that for APC, it has to go to the Southwest. I am a northerner, I know where we came from in the elections in 2015.
“So, I see no reason the APC as a party should not support any of the candidates from the Southwest because they are the biggest contributors to the victory of APC.
“Gov. Dave Umahi should tell us if APC has promised him and other governors from his region if they are going to give the ticket to him or them in 2023.
“I think that question should be put to His Excellency because his reason for decamping was that PDP was not going to give power to particularly the Southeast.
“Then, has there been any move or assurance by the APC that they are going to give a candidate from the Southeast? Because as far as I am concerned, I have not seen any indication that the APC is going to field any candidate from the Southeast and I don’t think that is going to happen. Even if Southwest does not get it, to be honest, I don’t see the APC giving it to anybody from the Southeast, maybe South South perhaps, but definitely not the Southeast.
“In the Southeast, they keep agitating individually but they have not come together collectively to show a unified front to the rest of the country that they are indeed ready for this presidency.
“There is no unity among the governors, there is no unity among the political elite and there is no unity among the followers.
“And unfortunately for them, they do not have the numbers which means that they need the support of one or two regions”, Yakasai added.
