‘Awa lo kan’ — Fresh headache for PDP, Atiku as Fayose demands power shift to south

Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, has demanded that a southerner must succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Fayose is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Atiku Abubakar — a northerner — is the presidential candidate of the party.

The former Ekiti governor was one of the presidential hopefuls who contested the primary of the opposition party.

In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Fayose said it is the turn of the southern region to produce a president.

“The PDP Constitution provides for a rotational Presidency. Section 3(c) provides that the Party shall pursue its aims & objectives by adhering to the policy of the rotation & zoning of Party & Public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness,” he wrote.

“The current President of Nigeria is a 2-term Northern Presidency, thus implying that it MUST be a Southern Presidency in 2023 or NOTHING.”

Writing in Yoruba language, Fayose also tweeted that “awa south lo kan” — which means “it is the turn of the south”. The remark is a reference to the catchphrase attributed to Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The current President of Nigeria is a 2-term Northern Presidency, thus implying that it MUST be a Southern Presidency in 2023 or NOTHING. Awa ‘South’ lo kan’. Nigerians should await details soon.

— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose) June 29, 2022

The former governor added that Nigerians should “await details soon”.

At the PDP presidential primary, Fayose was unable to secure the mandate of the 16 Ekiti delegates — and as such, he secured no vote.