From Okwe Obi, Abuja
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akinjide Kazeem Akinola, has said the 2023 presidential election should be zoned to the South-West and the decision should not be negotiated.
He said the Yoruba majority South-West had supported candidates in the past for the Presidency and should be allowed to produce the country’s next president in 2023.
Speaking with reporters in Abuja, Akinola urged leaders in the region to come together in order to achieve what he called a ‘Yoruba Presidency’ in 2023.
‘The South-West Presidency is non-negotiable,’ he said. ‘It has always been as if you are doing the Yorubas a favour each time it comes to giving them the Presidency.
‘In 1999, when Olusegun Obasanjo became the President, it was as if it was a compensation for them (Yoruba) because of Moshood Abiola, like it’s not their right.
‘So, it is time to make the other region understand that Yorubas are also part of Nigeria, and the 2023 presidency’s shouldn’t be what we talk about or negotiate.’
The Oyo state-born politician claimed that during general elections, other regions usually run to Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the APC to canvas for votes, like Jonathan, Ya’ardua, and Buhari did, and after an election is won, nobody keeps to their promise to support the region in return.
‘We are not talking about Yoruba nation now, the first thing is Yoruba Presidency in 2023 which is not negotiable. It is high time Yoruba leaders come together and understand that the more divided they are, the high chances of them losing the Presidency.
‘Nobody is doing Yoruba favours by bringing the Presidency to them, they merit it because they have been supporting candidates from other regions,’ the APC chieftain stated.