Ex-Zamfara governor, Yerima, joins Nigeria’s presidential race

A former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, has declared his intention to vie for Nigeria’s presidency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in 2023.

He said this at a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. According to him, he had on three occasions stepped down to enable Buhari clinch the presidential ticket of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party as well as the All Progressives Congress.

Yerima refuted claims of an existing gentleman’s agreement to zone the Presidency to the south in 2023.

The former governor said, “I don’t think there is anything like agreement. You can ask Mr President, he led the group, Asiwaju was there, I was part of it, there was no meeting I didn’t attend or any meeting that I attended that there was such agreement.

(Such an) Agreement can’t be verbal; it has to be written. In any case, any agreement that is contrary to laws of this country is not an agreement. The constitution is very clear, the constitution of the political parties, the Electoral Act. We are in a democracy and democracy is governed by processes and procedures and by laws.”

He said both the Nigerian constitution, as well as that of the APC did not make provisions for zoning.

Speaking on a security crisis in the north, he said, “Initially I was in support of negotiations (with bandits) because I have seen that negotiations had worked in the Niger Delta issue.

“We got an amnesty programme and that is why we have peace in the Niger Delta. So, anything that will bring peace and stability, I think it should be considered.”