I Will Support a Southern Presidency 2023, Northerners Should Back off- El-Rufai

I Will Support a Southern Presidency 2023, Northerners Should Back off- El-Rufai

The governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he is in support of a Southern presidency come 2023.

The governor who made this disclosure on Saturday in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service said that he will never support anybody from the Northern part of the country as Buhari’s replacement in 2023.

“The southern part of the country is supposed to produce the president come 2023; I don’t support a northerner to vie for the seat after President Muhammadu Buhari, based on Nigeria’s political arrangement,” He said.

The Governor said that although Zoning is not constitutional agreement, it will be cruel if the presidency remains with the North because of Nigeria’s political diversity.

“I believe that (there is) no developed country across the world that considers leadership based on where someone comes from. However, in Nigerian politics, there is an arrangement that we all believe in rotational leadership. We are aware of that, anyone who denies that is wrong,” the governor said.

Mr. El-Rufai maintained that political appointments should only be awarded to individuals who can deliver on a task they are given.

“In Kaduna, I don’t work with people because they came from a particular zone, rather, I work with you based on your capacity to deliver on a task given to you and your ability to keep the public trust,” Mr. El-Rufai said.

The governor used the avenue to debunk the speculation that he is aspiring for the presidency 2023, saying that the speculation has been there for long since the time he was a minister of the FCT.

“It is baseless speculation. I don’t want to be president; only God decides someone’s future whether you like it or not, I have never shown interest in the presidency.”