2023: Our struggle for southern presidency must not be in vain ― Akeredolu

The Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum and the Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has maintained that it will be unjust for the North to retain the Presidency in 2023 after spending eight years, just as he advised southerners not to throw away the opportunity.

This was contained in a statement made available to journalists by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde in Akure, who said the Governor spoke on Sunday at the 40th Holy Ghost Convention Dinner of The Sword of the Spirit Ministries held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Agbawo, Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

Akeredolu who said that the struggle for the President of Nigeria to come from the Southern part of the country in 2023 should not be in vain, urged Nigerians to prevent the North from retaining power next year.

Akeredolu explained that he led his colleagues in the Southern Governors’ Forum to demand a Southern Presidency despite stiff opposition from some quarters but said they have been unrelenting in the push for a power shift to the South in 2023.

He, however, called on the people not to throw away the chances of producing the next President, particularly from the Southwest where Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu hails from, describing the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as the best choice, saying he has the experience and courage to tackle the challenges facing the country.

While speaking on the Muslim/Muslim ticket, Akeredolu pleaded with Christians to look beyond religion and focus on the competency of the Presidential candidate, stressing that the buck stops at the President’s table and that what is important is to have a Southern President come 2023.

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He said: ”I discussed with Bishop Francis Wale Oke that presidency must come to the South. Take it or leave it, it is the minimum we can get. It must come to the South. The North cannot produce President for eight years and still want to retain it for another eight years. It is not going to work.

“That is why under the Southern Governors’ Forum, where, luckily, God made me the chairman, we kept hammering on that. It must come to the South. And when it also got to our party in APC, we fought that it must come to the South.

“Luckily, it did not only come to South, it came to the South West. Now, where do we stand? I understand our feelings because I’m one of you. I am a Christian. All of us here are worried. What will be our gain, and that, is why is my party, the APC throwing up a Muslim/Muslim ticket?

“It has been a real issue for all of us. Even members of the party, it has been an issue for us. We have debated it, fought it and we have done so many things about it. I have always said to people, that my fight was for Southern President.

“Now it has come to the South West, will I now throw the baby away with the bathwater? Can I, in all honesty, do it? Should I, in all honesty, do it?

“We call it a matter of coincidence. It is a matter of conscience. All of us are here, why don’t we look at it from one angle? The buck stops on the table of the President, Do we have a capable hand who can manage the affairs if given the opportunity? Do you have a man who is bold enough to challenge incursion into our land? That is it.

“All of us here have lived together for years and we didn’t allow religion to bring fight among us. We have Muslims in our families and there is no fight. We have many leaders in Yoruba land who have both Muslims and Christians in their families and there is no fight.

“So, we want to appeal to our people that this is our time. I want to appeal to all our Senior Pastors and General Overseers to help talk to their followers. We politicians can only do little. This is our time, please don’t be angry.”

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