Willy Eya

Elder statesman and member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) board of trustees, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, has said that the North could produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023.

He said the North could retain power because some political parties may find the zone attractive and better positioned to give them the mileage they need to win the election.

His remarks came even as one of the leaders of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo and former governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, in separate interviews with Daily Sun, observed that the North does not want the unity of Nigeria.

Kwande argued that it was possible for the North to retain power in 2023, as some of the political parties could adopt the zone as a strategy and tactic to win the election.

His words: “If the PDP, for instance, zones their presidential slot to the South East, they must have a reason for that. They would not even like the ruling party to zone it to the East because that would defeat the purpose for which they wanted it zoned to the East.

“Now, how many political parties do we have? Somebody can even say let us zone it to his village so that he can win. In that case, you cannot stop him, if his political party would go with his idea. But it is not something that somebody should worry about.

“The people you see saying, let it remain in the North, are doing that because they feel you can use it to get more votes. If immediately something changes and they think that only a candidate from Delta would win for their party, believe me, they would say, let us zone it to the South South. This is the idea; it is not something legal, it is politics.”

Reacting to Kwande’s remarks, Afenifere leader, Adebanjo said some people did not want the country to remain united: “I have been saying that the North is not serious about keeping Nigeria united and, until we change the nation’s Constitution, we cannot move forward.

“It confirms what I have been saying. Buhari can deceive Tinubu 20 times but it is all fake.”

Also in his remarks, former Anambra State governor, Ezeife, said some people did not want the unity of the country.

He said: “There are some people who do not care about the unity of this country, even though they are benefiting the most from Nigeria staying as one.

“But God has all the powers and those who do not agree will soon agree.”