Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has tackled Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, over a statement credited to him on zoning of the presidency.
On Friday, Bello said zoning of presidency is not compulsory since it isn’t recognised in the country’s constitution.
The governor had said in 2023, the best candidate should be someone who will unite the country.
Reacting to the governor’s stance in a statement on Monday, Alex Ogbonnia, national publicity secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the zoning of the presidency between the north and south was agreed in 1998 when Bello was still a university student.
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“Governor Bello was still a student, studying accountancy at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria when an agreement was reached between the North and the South with respect to Rotational Presidency,” Ogbonnia said.
“The meeting was held at the National University Commission Conference Centre, Abuja in 1998. Dr.Chuba Okadigbo spoke on behalf of the South while Alh. Abubakar Rimi spoke for the North. The likes of Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, etc were at the meeting.
“The Nigerian statesmen examined the merits and demerits of zoning and rotation of power between the composite zones in Nigeria. In the end, it was resolved that the presidency be conceded to the South and that it would rotate between the South and the North in the interest of equity, unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.
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“The foregoing was the basis for the emergence of presidential candidates of the mainstream political parties from the South West in 1999. Since then, the patriotic and peace-loving Nigerians have adhered to the rotation principle such that at the end of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s second tenure, President Musa Yar’Adua was elected; Goodluck Jonathan and then President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The group further noted that the Kogi governor is embarking on a political adventure that lacks both conscience and principle.
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