Southern Governors resolution unconstitutional – Arewa Youth Forum
Arewa Youth Forum, a Northern socio-cultural group has described Southern Governors Forum’s recent call for the next president to come from southern Nigeria in 2023 as an action of questionable legality, accusing the Governors of not showing concern with a serious security and economic challenges bedeviling the country.
In a statement signed by its National President, Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu, the group posited that the task before every governor now is to tackle security challenges and improve the socio economic wellbeing of his people, arguing that “it is only when some of these impasse are resolved before anyone should begin to talk about Presidency in 2023, under an atmosphere devoid of rancour, bitterness and the present pronounced division.”
According to the group, “We are surprised that the Governors were not concerned about how Nigeria will come out of the present predicament of insecurity and economic hardship and set the country on the part of progress and development. They are only concerned about where the president would come from. This is unfortunate.
“Our advice to the southern Governors is that before we talk about the 2023 elections. They should work to settle the the problems ravaging their states and region and even the country as a whole.
“There is the problem of insecurity ravaging the whole country and some parts of the southern states, there is the protest and self determination by some elements led by Sunday Igboho, who are disturbing the peace and freedom of well meaning Nigerians and preventing them from going about their daily activities.
“They was also the destruction of government facilities and killing of Nigerians especially those that are not of Eastern Nigerian extraction. Some Easterners have been deceived by the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu to be killing people and destroying properties. As youths committed to the unity of Nigeria, we believe strongly that these are issues that should ordinarily worry well meaning Nigerians and the Governors.
“While we are not bordered where the president of the country comes from in 2023. Our main concern is that anyone that will emerge either from the south or the north must have the requisite acumen to unite the country, develop our resources across the country and not to be as someone that emerge just because he is from one section of the country.” Part of the statement reads.
AYF also rejected the Governors stand that they have “rejected the proposed 3% and support the 5% share of the oil revenue to the host community as recommended by the House of Representatives. The forum also rejects the proposed 30% share of profit for the exploration of oil and gas in the basins” in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) recently passed by the National Assembly
The group said it is of the believe that all these are sentiments that does not engender peace, unity, fairness.