It’s the Governors decision to allow Buhari choose successor or not- AYCF

Alhaji Yerima Shettima, Leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF),  has said it’s up to the All Progressives Congress, APC, governors to give in to President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision about choosing who to succeed him in 2023.

“On President Buhari’s request to be allowed to choose a successor, it is up to the Governors to allow or disallow him

“Meanwhile, we can only wait to see what happens. Will they grant the president’s wish?

“We only know that no governor has even commented on the President’s request yet, so it might be premature to take a definite stand,” Shettima said.

When asked about the emergence of a former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and grievances of Southerners as regards the North dishonouring zoning formula, he said, “Well, our position has always been about the golden rule of democracy: Let the majority have their way and let the minority have their say.

“And this is without prejudice to where a candidate hails from.

“If the APC should decide to field a Northerner too, let him or her test their popularity and acceptability at the polling stations, as Nigerians.

“But I must add that if the PDP decided to field Atiku just because the North-East has never produced a President for Nigeria, the APC could also field either someone comparatively younger than Atiku or a person from the North-Central, which has also never produced a president for Nigeria.

“Our number one wish is having a young president for Nigeria in 2023. We need a new face and younger Nigerian at the helms of affairs in this country by 2023.”

Shettima also encouraged the youths whose presidential candidate is the former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi  to ensure that they come out to vote.

“On Peter Obi and the Nigerian youths you quoted as saying he will make a good President, there is no harm in saying that.

“Let Dr Obi subject himself to the democratic popularity test in 2023. As a citizen, he has every right to aspire to any office in the land.

“The youths you said that are drumming support for Obi’s presidency should also try to redouble their efforts at the Nigerian polling stations and ensure he gets a majority of the votes to be cast.

“I won’t support the politics of denying any Nigerian the right to contest, but we need a new, young face and not recycling of old faces; that would be unacceptable to the vast majority,” Shettima added.