2023: Group Urges Jonathan, Tinubu, Others to Drop Presidential Ambition

By Chuks Okocha

A group, Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness (CCLCA), has advised some politicians in Nigeria to stay away from the presidential race in 2023 in order to create political sanity and cohesion in the country.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja yesterday, the Director-General of the group, Dr. Nwambu Gabriel, said it would amount to greed if certain aspirants from the regions, who have enjoyed their share in the on-going political equation, still present themselves for the exalted office.

According to the statement, “In the interest of federal character, individuals like Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, Mallam El-Rufai, Governors Aminu Tambuwal, Kayode Fayemi; Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, Chibuike Amaechi, Godswill Akpabio, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan among others, should keep away from the race in 2023 in order to give an atmosphere of peaceful cohesion.”

While justifying its position, Nwambu noted that: “Now, Nigeria is made up of six geo political zones. These are the Northeast, Northwest, North Central, Southeast, South-south and the Southwest. Since the return of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria in 1999, the Southwest took off with former President Olusegun Obasanjo completing a two term of eight years.

“He handed over to the Northwest in late President Musa Yar’Adua, who barely served for two years before he died. This prompted the swearing-in of the South-south President Jonathan. Thereafter, in 2015, the Northwest took over again with President Muhammadu Buhari, while Yemi Osinbajo of the South-west region is serving as the vice president.

“In all these, therefore, the North Central, the Southeast, and the North-east regions have not held the presidency of this great country. In the interest of equity and fairness, it becomes imperative that the two major political parties in Nigeria-the APC and the PDP-should choose their candidates from these three geo political zones that haven’t had the opportunity to produce the president of Nigeria. This formula would stabilise the already tensed situation and enhance the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians across board,” the group posited.

It stated further that: “There is no doubt that the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria is already threatened and fragile. Politics in Nigeria is deemed by politicians as purely a game of personal interest. In other words, the word patriotism scarcely exists in the minds of our elites. This explains why the socio-economic and political situation in the country has consistently nose-dived.”

The Centre further advised that this formula remains a panacea to solving the myriads of problems associated with the uneasy calm currently being experienced in the country, and should top the thoughts in the mind of any patriotic Nigerian.