THE Northern Elders Forum (NEF) says the north has the numbers to rule Nigeria perpetually.
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The NEF Spokesperson Hakeem Baba-Ahmed stated this at a public lecture at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, during the weekend.
According to The Punch, Baba-Ahmed said that the region ‘inherited’ leadership and would not be intimidated from taking a shot at the presidency in 2023.
“We will lead Nigeria the way we have led Nigeria before. Whether we are president or vice-president, we will lead Nigeria,” he said.
“We have the majority of the votes and democracy says ‘vote whom you want.’ Why should we accept a second class position when we know we can buy a form and contest for first-class and we will win?
“Why does anybody need to threaten us and intimidate us? We will get that power but be humble because power comes from God. We inherited leadership and being honest is not being stupid.”
He noted that the region was humble enough to know that it would run Nigeria with other people, but it would not play second fiddle to anybody.
Though the region’s economy is in a shambles, Baba-Ahmed said people from the region would fix it, stating the region was not for sale.
“We may not have the most robust economy, there are people who are trying to strangulate us even more than we are being strangled.
“We are ready for this. We will consider every economic adversity, challenge. We will fix the northern economy and we are the only ones who can fix this northern economy. For that reason, we are not for sale. We are in the process of rebuilding the north and we will rebuild the north from 2023.
“This is democracy. If they don’t like what Nigeria is, they will say they want to break up from this country,. We don’t pay attention to those people, we are focused on the fact that we are running a democratic system.”
He said anyone who did not like it could leave the country if a northerner was voted president in 2023.
Baba-Ahmed’s comments are coming after the Southern Governors Forum (SGF) and socio-political groups, including the Ohaneze Ndigbo, Afenifere, and others, have continued to call for a southern president in 2023.
Some Nigerians link Baba-Ahmed’s comments to agitations of southern governors for the collection of value added tax (VAT) and the ban on open grazing by several states in the region.
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