The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) has said any political party that fails to field a Northerner as its presidential candidate for the next presidential election should have itself to blame.
There are speculations in some quarters that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) might fizzle out of power should it fail to allow a Northerner as a presidential candidate in 2023.
When the now opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held sway from 1999 to 2015, the party used to rotate where to choose its presidential candidates, mainly from the two protectorates in the country.
When the ruling party was formed in 2013, the issue of zoning presidential tickets was not one of the issues tackled by the merger parties involved in the formation. It is on this note that some persons considered influential in the Northern part of the country are insisting that the party either field their son or loose power to any other opposing party willing to do so.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the North, began his second term in May and will step down in 2023. Some leaders of his party are insisting power must shift to the South.
Yerima Shettima, the National President of AYCF, while speaking with Sun Newspaper said nobody or group has the constitutional right to prevent the region from fielding candidate in 2023.
Mr Shettima, who said the people of the zone would make use of its numerical strength to determine the outcome of the election, advised any political party that refuses to zone its presidential ticket to the North should blame itself.
“The beauty of democracy is the rule of law and the Nigerian Constitution does not restrict any area or region from having a candidate in a general election,” he said.
“Any political party that fails to field a candidate from the North would blame itself after the election because the North would use their numerical strength to determine the outcome democratically,” Shettima added.
Although no one from the South has publicly declared interest for the office, political scenario suggests bigwigs of the APC from the region are warming up to succeed the president.
Speculations has it that Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the ruling party and incumbent vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, are eyeing the seat of power.
