A network of support groups for the former Vice-President of the country, Atiku Abubakar, The Middle Belt Network for Atiku has denounced his aspiration for the 2023 presidential election.
The Network with members are from Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Plateau and Niger states disclosed this during a street rally in Makurdi, the Benue state capital on Monday.
Luka Pam and Madaki Yakubu, National President and Secretary respectively in a speech said the Network which advised Atiku Abubakar not to contest the position of President in 2023, however, urged him to play an advisory role.
Members of the group brandished placards with various inscriptions, including: “Middle Belt rejects Atiku for President; “Turaki leave 2023 for a younger candidate and North wants a man with Igbo extraction” among others.
Abah Emmanuel, spokesperson for the Network stated that in the interest of fairness and equity, power, in 2023 be shifted to the South-East geographical zone.
In its address during the rally, the group said “We resolve to mobilise our membership across the zones to make Alhaji Atiku Abubakar see reasons why he shouldn’t run, while we call on our leaders in the Middle Belt zone, to support our call for a President of Eastern extraction to emerge in 2023.
“As supporters of the former Vice-President, we are also conscious of the fact that this position goes against the interest of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to run for office again in 2023.
“We make this position clear in our minds that we are first of all Nigerians and then democrats; knowing that democracy is about the interest of the larger whole over individuals and sub-groups.
“We further call on Atiku Abubakar, who at 77years of age is no longer the man he was a few years ago, to can his ambition and support a younger person in the South-East region that has never produced a President of Nigeria, in the interest of national unity and cohesion going forward.
“It is on record, and we stand to be corrected on this, that Atiku Abubakar never uttered a word when Fulani killing of our people was raging and at its peak. We, therefore, renounce our support for Alhaji Atiku as he has proven to be a serial contestant, rather than staying on the path of national development as the elder statesman he ought to be; who should speak truth to power and call all citizens to execute justice always.
Furthermore, they argued that “A system where there are is no justice and equity cannot produce peace and development. It is in the interest of justice and equity to cede the presidency to the South-East in 2023 and we believe that this will be a game-changer for Nigeria, as we would have made the statement that our democracy is not just majority rule, but an equitable system where all ethnic components have a shot at taking the lead.
“We are well aware that some are already positioning themselves, from the north, to run for the office of the president and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN). It must be made clear that it is the right of every Nigerian who has attained the age and meets the other requirements to seek to serve as president of his or her country, but as a country that has to marry so many interests, there are certain principles and precedents in morality and equity that have defined how presidents emerge.
“It is a matter of common sense that the Presidency of the FRN has to return to the southern part of Nigeria, especially the region of eastern extraction should support an eastern candidate, to pave way for justice and equity within our nation.
“Until we are able to fashion out a more solidified democracy, we need to maintain the zoning arrangement to promote national unity and peaceful coexistence. We are in an emergency and the 2023 elections are not the time to gamble or play games with the collective destiny of Nigerians.
The Network also said, “Our argument about, who leads us in 2023 and beyond, having conducted an integrated and comprehensive opinion survey over the last six months, incorporating multiple data sources and collection methods, is rested on two planks namely: age and power shift to the southeast.
“Any candidates that fail to meet these criteria should not even bother to waste scarce resources or vital energy as their aspirations are dead on arrival, while the search for the best candidates will be within the framework of a young and south easterner.
“We must begin to emphasize our unity over the differences that exist in this great country, and there is no better way to do this than a president of the south-east extraction in 2023.
“This will send a clear signal to all regions of the country that we are ready to take our rightful place in the comity of nations presenting a single voice on issues.
“It is said tough times never last, but tough people do, and if we must outlast the present times in which we find ourselves, we must make some tough choices between our survival and personal benefits.
