The Northern States Governors’ Forum on Monday opposed the call by its Southern counterpart that the Presidency should move to the South in 2023.
The northern governors, who stated this at their meeting in Kaduna, said the call by the Southern Governors’ Forum was against the constitution of the country.
But groups including the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Afenifere and the Delta State Government said the northern governors’ position was against the unity of the country.
The southern governors at their recent meeting in Enugu reiterated their demand that the Presidency should shift to the South in 2023.
On Monday, the northern governors said although some of them had endorsed the Southern governors’ call for power shift to the South, the regional governors collectively condemned such a call.
They said the statement by their Southern counterparts contradicted the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
They added that the elected President must meet the requirements which include getting “the majority votes, scoring at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in two thirds of the states of the federation; in case of a runoff, a simple majority win.”
These were contained in a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting of the regional governors and the chairmen of Northern Council of Chiefs held in Kaduna on Monday.
The 11-point-communique read, “The forum observed that some northern governors had earlier expressed views for a power-shift to three geopolitical zones in the South with a view to promoting unity and peace in the nation.
“Notwithstanding their comments, the forum unanimously condemns the statement by the Southern Governors’ Forum that the Presidency must go to the South.
“The statement is quite contradictory to the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended that the elected President shall score the majority votes; score at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in two thirds of states of the federation. In the case of a runoff, a simple majority win.