N-Delta Group Aligns with North, Calls for S’South Presidential Candidate

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC) has urged all political parties in the country to pick their presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections from the core South South geo-political zone.

The group said the call became necessary as it  will “balance the unity of the country and guarantee national security and strategic partnership between the North and South.”

Rising from a conference in Warri yesterday, NDYC noted that if the demand is heeded to by the various political parties, Nigeria will be on the right track of development, peace progress and unity.

The group, which claimed to represent the six states of the South-south in addressing issues of injustices, deprivations, socio-political and environmental challenges in the Niger Delta Region, however seeks alliance between South-south and the North in the forthcoming political dispensation.

According to the group, the main option to balance the unity of the nation lies in striking a strategic partnership between the North and the core South-south.

In communique issued at the end of the conference and signed jointly by the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Israui Uwojeyan and the National Secretary, Comrade Bakpa Orehime, NDYC observed that with the ongoing agitation for power by the political stake holders in the South-west and the South-east is an indication that the nation “will be faced with dire uncertainties if power goes to any of the above zones agitating for power”.

“The core South-South is the pivotal zone to bring about collective sense of security and National unity between all the geopolitical zones.

“The core South-south has been in strong alliance with the Northern part of Nigeria as a people right from the Second Republic.  The core South-South played a vital role for the late President Shehu Aliyu Shagari of blessed memory to win the keenly contested Presidential election of 1979, and this same core South-South people massively voted for his re-election in 1983 for a second term as Nigeria’s president.

“The core South-south is a people whom other parts of the country, especially the North has come to trust and depend upon for the political and socio-economic development of Nigeria, and there has never been a betrayal from them because of their patriotism and foresight in promoting unity and stability, and the time to strengthen that bond is now,”it stated.

The group further said: “The core South-South is the pivotal zone to bring about collective sense of security and national unity between all the geopolitical zones. We want to reiterate boldly that political parties zone their presidential slot to the core South South people who have all the qualities to emerge as the next president of Nigeria.

“If this demand by us is heeded to by the political parties and all parties involved, Nigeria will be on the right track of development, peace progress and unity”.

The group said it has resolved, as a group of people in the South, to ensure the next president of Nigeria is from the extraction of the core South-South irrespective of his or her political affiliations.

It reiterated that the time has come for all regions in the country, especially the northern region which is the most populous region, to strengthen the long existing political alliance and support a core South-south candidate in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election.

“We want to strongly state that we will not support any presidential candidate that is not from the core South-south in the forthcoming general elections. However, we want to mention that it is imperative to note that the core South-south extraction is yet to complete its second tenure since 2015 general election, and this time around we will do all within our reach to ensure this mission of Nigeria’s next president from the core South-south extraction is achieved”, it added.