Ensure presidency is zoned to South – Group to Atiku’s coalition

A group, the South-North Progressives Forum, SNPF, has called on the political coalition led by the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to ensure that the presidential ticket is zoned to the South.

The Convener of the group, Onyekwulisi Ikechwuku made the call while addressing a press conference on Saturday in Abuja with the theme, “The South Deserves Another Tenure of Four Years.”

The group which claimed to be non-partisan said it has members across all the political parties in the country.

He said historically, the nation has witnessed a disparity in power dynamics, with the North holding power for 24 years and the South for 18 years since the parliamentary democracy of 1957 to the constitutional democracy of 1999.

Ikechwuku noted that it was time to address this imbalance and ensure that every region has a fair opportunity to lead our great nation.

He stressed that the federal character principle, which seeks equitable representation in federal appointments and public resource allocation, didn’t capture elective positions in its equality framework.

The Convener added: “Hence, we propose an explicit constitutional framework for power oscillation between the South and North, allowing regional blocs to micro zone the presidency and ensure every Nigerian has a voice in our national development.

“Alternatively, there should be an executive bill for electoral reform that will engender power rotation in all our political parties in order to maintain the ease of power equality across the sub-regions

“We call on all patriots, stakeholders, and organizations, political parties, especially the purported coalition platform, to join us in ceding their presidential candidates to the South for the 2027 election, ensuring another tenure of four years.”

Ikechwuku stated that this was not a partisan issue but a national imperative that would allow Nigerians to make informed choices based on merit and ensure our nation’s continued progress.

He added: “We commit to leading the same campaign for the North in 2031, demonstrating our passion for equality and stability in nation building.

“We’ve designed a robust mobilisation framework to actualise this mission, guaranteeing a minimum of 10 million eligible voters before 2027, with 80 per cent mobilised from our Northern brethren.

Ensure presidency is zoned to South – Group to Atiku’s coalition