By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
In the interest of equity, fairness and peaceful coexistence, the next President of Nigeria should not only come from the Southern part of the country but he or she should be a Southern Christian President.
This is the stand of a non-partisan socio-political organisation, Nigeria Equity Group (NEG) which also aligned itself with the recent resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum on the necessity for power to shift to the South in 2023 at the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years tenure.
NEG National Convener, Dr. Emeka Nwosu flanked at a World Press Conference in Abuja on Wednesday by the Group’s Secretary, Alhaji Muhammed Mubarak; Barrister Hamza Abdullahi, Legal Adviser and chief Christian Amushie, PRO, said that they support the stand of the Southern Governors Forum who they said spoke the minds of most Nigerians especially those from the South.
Dr. Nwosu said the position of the Southern Governors is in line with NEG position and campaign which it started over a year ago and which is finding expression in diverse voices.
According to him: ” We note that this position has found support too in the Northern politicians of goodwill who are fair-minded, such as the Governor of Borno state, Prof. Babagana Zulum who has been saying that he is of the view that the Presidency should return to the Southern part of Nigeria in 2023 because the unity of the country is very important”.
NEG leadership however argued that the call for the Southern Presidency is not far reaching enough and therefore demanded that the next President of Nigeria should be a Christian of Southern extraction.
Said he: “The country is at the moment riven by strife, stoked by religious distrust, suspicion and fear of domination. Things have become so bad that only a delicate balancing in 2023 can begin to redress these annomalies and restore faith and hope in the country again.
“We strongly believe that the only way to truly promote fairness and inclusion in our diverse and complex society, especially at this time of unprecedented national crisis, is for power shift to a Southern Christian in 2023”, the Group demanded.
NEG also advised that: “Anything other than this (Christian President in 2023) will further exacerbate the rifts and wounds that have become more evident lately and not bode well for our country”.
The Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) argued that Nigeria’s population is divided almost in equal half by the adherents of the two major faiths of Christianity and Islam, adding that, “it’s gratifying that with the return of democratic rule in 1999, power has interchanged at the highest level our politics”.
The Group warned that it will amount to grave injustice and insensitivity should another Muslim South is President after President Buhari, saying that:”to shut out Christian who make up half of Nigeria’s population from power for 16 years if another Muslim take over from Buhari, will be grossly unfair and bad politics that will lead to deleterious outcome for Nigeria”.
NEG therefore said: “the only chance of a Christian becoming President in Nigeria is when there is power shift to the South.
“We therefore urge the political class to tread carefully and to work towards a Southern Christian consensus President in 2023, in order to avert religious strife that will further weaken the bond that binds us”.
