Right of Northerners to Seek any Elective Position is not Negotiable-CNG

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has blasted Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for threatening democracy by his comment that no party should field a northern candidate in the coming general election.

Their reaction was in response to Governor Akeredolu. He said the 17 governors in the southern part of the country were determined to ensure that the next President comes from the South, and any political party that fields a northern candidate in the 2023 presidential election would lose.

The group’s spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman stated this yesterday, speaking on behalf of the group, he noted, “They are empty threats that won’t work.” 

The group noted that the North would not be directly or indirectly threatened or intimidated or blackmailed into yielding an office that is supposed to be settled democratically.

He stressed that the threat by Akeredolu will violate the fundamental rights of political parties to field candidates of their choices and the right of voters to exercise chose their preferred candidate freely

Suleiman further warned that the right of northerners to seek any elective position in any party of their choice is not negotiable,  stressing that the North will not be dissuaded by empty, provocative statements from Akeredolu and his southern counterparts who believe they can use threats and hate speech to define elements for elections.

“For the avoidance of doubt, no amount of threats and intimidation from the South would change the minds of northerners regarding zoning,” he said.

The group’s spokesperson said Akeredolu was constituting a threat to the nation’s democracy and warned that the constant threats from self-appointed enemies of the North are unconstitutional and reckless.

“Any president to be elected should be done democratically and not by unnecessary empty expressions by anyone from whatever region and of whatever status,” the group warned.