The Nigeria Equity Group has criticised the candidacy of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, saying power should shift to the South after the two-term tenure of the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), from the North.
The group, which described Atiku’s candidacy as unfair to the South, alleged nepotism by the Buhari-led regime.
Atiku was elected candidate of the PDP at the national convention of the opposition party held in Abuja on Saturday.
The NEG stated this in a statement issued on Sunday, titled ‘For the Sake of the Unity of Nigeria, Political Inclusion is the Way to Go,’ which was jointly signed by the National Convener, Emeka Nwosu; and National Secretary, Mohammed Mubarak.
The statement partly read, “We wish to respond to the emergence of the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2023 presidential election. Alhaji Atiku, a northern Muslim, defeated a plethora of PDP presidential aspirants in a contentious primary election in Abuja to lead the PDP charge for the general election.
“We wish to draw attention to the fact that the NEG has campaigned vigorously for equity, fairness and inclusion in our body polity. In our several interventions over the years, we have appealed to the major political parties to be mindful of the complex heterogeneous Nigerian society and to work out a political solution that will be fair, inclusive and equitable to all.
“In this case, we believe what is just and fair is for presidential powers to be zoned to the South, specifically to a southern Christian, after the eight-year rule of President Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim. We consider it to be very inequitable, unfair and potentially dangerous for the presidency to remain in the North after President Buhari’s tenure.
“We wish to note that the various crises that have plagued the Nigerian society lately stem from the feeling of neglect, marginalisation and inequity. These cries of marginalisation seem to have some validations and have been amplified under the tenure of President Buhari, who apparently has favoured the North in key appointments and interventions.”
The group decried that all the leaders of the various arms of government are northern Muslims, starting with Buhari who heads the executive arm, Ahmad Lawan as President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly – the legislative arm, and Ibrahim Muhammad as the Chief Justice of Nigeria – the judicial arm.
“Key appointments in the military and paramilitary agencies are also skewed in favour of the North,” the NEG also alleged.
The statement further read, “This atmosphere has heightened the call for a more equitable distribution of political offices and appointments in a manner that reflects the complexity and diversity of the Nigerian State. We, at the NEG, have been at the vanguard of this campaign because of our love for Nigeria and understanding that it is in the country’s strategic and long-term interest to put issues of equity and inclusion at the centre of our politics.
“We, therefore, totally condemn the decision of the PDP to elect a northern Muslim presidential candidate at this point of our national life. This is a potentially dangerous decision that has serious implications for national unity and security. We strongly believe this decision does not bode well for our country and would lead to further crises and aggravate the growing fissures of the Nigerian society.
“We will therefore mobilise Nigerians of goodwill everywhere against this act of arbitrariness by the PDP. We note that one man’s ambition cannot be greater than the security and stability of our country.”
The group called on the All Progressives Congress to be deliberate about its search for a presidential candidate and to work towards a consensus around a southern Christian, “for the sake of the peace and long-term good of our country.”
According to the NEG, this will demonstrate that the APC has better understanding of the Nigerian society and is a party built on trust, goodwill, and diversity.
“We assure the APC of total victory if they do this, as we will mobilise Christians and Muslims, northerners and southerners, and all men and women of goodwill to back this ticket.
“Finally, we note that Nigeria is on the precipice and we should be careful not to push it down the cliff,” the statement read.
