Governors cannot decide on zoning of Office of President — Kwankwaso

Former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Kwakwanso has faulted the declaration by the Southern Governors Forum (SGF) that power should shift to the south in 2023. Kwakwanso, a former minister of defence and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who spoke as a guest on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, which was monitored by Saturday Telegraph, stated that the constitution of the country was clear that the president could come from any of the regions, and that if the north produces the president then the south should produce the vice president and vice versa.

The former Kano Governor revealed during the interview with Arise TV that he was qualified to be the next president of Nigeria, adding that those who believe he could handle the country better should give him their support. Kwakwanso said that he had to part ways with his successor as Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State due to ideological differences and alleged inability of the governor to implement people-oriented policies.

Speaking further on rotational presidency, Kwakwanso stressed that the issue of where the president or the vice president comes from should be for the party, saying that the political parties should strategise on where their candidates would come from. “This has nothing with any forum, group or association; either Governors or whatever forum. It has to do with the party; every party wants to win an election. Members of the party would sit down and decide where the president would come. I was surprised, when I saw all the governors from the south and those from the north taking decisions on that.

“In 1993, when we were preparing for the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa was from Kano, we came from the same local government and we were in the same polling booth.

But we didn’t believe in all these sentiments and the late Chief MKO Abiola from Ogun State was our candidate in the Social Democratic Party (SDP). “Many people would remember how we went to Kano and many other northern states to campaign for MKO Abiola and we won in my polling booth, local government and the state that were the same with that of Bashir Tofa. Many people also would remember in 1999, when we went to Jos in Plateau State to elect our presidential candidate, our leader.

(Saturday Telegraph)

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