The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), on Tuesday, February 25, has blasted the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai over the South presidency comment.
According to the President-General of the group forum, Yerima Shettima, said that Mr El-Rufai, is only routing for a southern presidential candidate in 2023 because he wants to be the Vice President.
Recall that, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday, February 24 had said that the North has no justification to remain in power after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure.
El-Rufai maintained that the Presidency should rightly return to the Southern part of Nigeria.
El-Rufai said “I want to say that those of us from Northern Nigeria honour agreements. We do not violate unwritten political agreements and I will be the last person to lead in violating that agreement. I may have a personal view but that should be the basis. I don’t care where you come from but I look for merit.
“But as a group, the Northern APC will have to sit down and endorse someone, most likely someone from the South, because after eight years of Buhari, I don’t think the Presidency should remain in the north unless there is some extenuating circumstances. But all things being equal, we will honour our agreement and we keep our words,” he said.
But in a reaction to the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) led by Yarima Shettima condemn the governor for saying the Southern part of Nigeria should be allowed to produce the country’s next president.
Shettima, who spoke exclusively with Daily Post, he stressed that the governor was only pursuing his selfish interest.
He maintained that El-Eufai’s comment was not in the interest of the North.
According to Shettima:
“El-Rufai is just a governor and a mere politician who is ever ready to bargain for what he feels will represent his individual and personal interest.
“He is probably saying this because he wants them to consider him for Vice President and only God knows the side of the South he was referring to as he did not specify. But he may be saying this because he wants to be considered as a running mate to whoever will contest.”
The AYCF President General stressed that El-Rufai’s statement was not a reflection of the North.
He cautioned Nigerians against absorbing declarations of politicians without proper scrutiny.
Shettima added:
“For us Northerners he remains a governor, his decision does not in any way reflect the interest of the North even in Kaduna he won’t get one-third. His statement holds no water and it represents his personal interest.
“You know due to his character of desperation, he is ever ready to bargain and that is why if a politician comes out to make any statement look at it thoroughly you will realize that it’s his personal interest.”
He expressed the belief that the governor was going about jostling for the position of the Vice President because he’s not popular in the North, even in Kaduna.
“He is probably going around behind the scenes now negotiating to be Vice President of the country considering the fact that he may not be the popular candidate from the North.
“If the North is to produce candidates for the presidency, El-Rufai is not among the first 10 we are considering. He has probably realized that his chances are slim and narrow so he is ever ready to negotiate and make it looks like he is more accepted in one part of the country so he is willing to go around side by side whoever emerges from the South.
“I can see his body language that whoever he thinks it’s going to work with is completely doomed so whoever he thinks will consider him to be Vice President is just wasting time and whatever he says does not represent the interest of Northerners and it can never be.
“What do you expect from a sinking boat who has lost the goodwill of his people can’t go for third term as governor, as a result, he is desperate to remain in political office, hence he is ever willing and ready to bargain against the collective interest of his people because he’s desperate to hold the political office of the vice president and unfortunately for him he is not that popular so whoever considers him as Vice President should know his picking a product that is not sellable in the North. El-Rufai is a sinking ship that can only fall anywhere just to survive.”
