2021: Northern Coalition Rejects Southern Govs’ Standpoint

A Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has criticised the Southern Governors’ Forum over their resolutions at a recent meeting held in Lagos State.

The coalition claimed that the resolutions of the Southern Governors are ‘desperate’ attempts to weaken the North.

The Southern Governors’ Forum had on Monday jointly agreed that there was a need for a rotational presidency while endorsing a southern presidency in 2023.

The 17 Governors during the meeting also rejected the proposed 3% share of oil revenue to the host community by the Senate while they supported the 5% share recommended by the House of Representatives in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

Also, the forum, during the meeting unanimously agreed that they must be well notified before security agencies undertake any operation in Southern states.

In the communique, the governors condemned selective criminal administration of justice while resolving that arrests should be made in line with the constitution of Nigeria and citizens’ fundamental human rights.

“The Forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unanimously agrees that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern and Northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the Southern Region,” the communique stated.

Reacting to the resolutions, the CNG alleged that the governors are supporting terrorism thereby challenging the Federal Government’s efforts to enforce law and order in the country.

According to the group, the open declaration of the Governors was a desperate attempt to shield separatist leaders like Nnamdi Kanu the self-acclaimed leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Sunday Adeyemo, the Self-acclaimed Yoruba Nation agitator, from the wrath of the law.

This was contained in a statement issued by the group’s spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman.

The group also rejected the call for a rotational presidency by the Southern Governors, claiming that the governors are trying to ‘gang-up’ against the North.

The statement reads, “The desperation of the southern governors to shield the assortment of criminals, incite and carry out attacks, and wanton destruction of lives and property of other citizens and national security assets has exposed the level of their complicity in the operations of the armed terrorist groups in the South.”

“Their support for treasonable felony, by the subtle endorsement of the activities of such criminal separatist forces led by the likes of Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu, by warning the nation’s security agencies against operating in the region without obtaining permission from the governor of the particular state is a matter that must be given the seriousness it deserves.”

“The northern group added that the governors resolutions on 2023 exposed a deliberate attempt to impose a contentious system of rotational presidency aimed at achieving dubious political goals to weaken the North. This conspiracy is actively perpetrated with the connivance of some northerners and accommodated by the personal ambition of a few of those that present themselves as northern political leaders.”