Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi State and presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has called for the jettisoning of zoning or rotational presidency in the 2023 general election.
According to Bello, Nigeria has been practising zoning since it got political
independence in 1960 but the practice does not engender good leadership that could foster peace, unity and progress of the country.
The governor who stated this at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday called for a paradigm shift in which leaders should be chosen on the basis of competence, capacity and patriotism.
Bello who spoke through Kingsley Fanwo, Commissioner of Information and Communications, Kogi State said that status quo must be broken before Nigerians can talk of progressing as a nation and as a people.
Read also: Saraki, others seek PDP consensus candidate to oust APC
“So it’s no more about rotation. That should not determine criteriafor hiring leaders. In 2023, it is going to change. The zoning may be competence, capacity, patriotism, a unifier, a bridge builder. That is where we are zoning it to. Whether the person is a northerner, Southerner, Igbo, Hausa it does not matter anymore.
“We have being zoning since 1960, are we better off? So that’s where we are going. And that’s what we have come out to challenge because it will take a courageous man like Yahaya Bello to challenge and defeat that monster before we can be talking about development. So on rotation, we are ready for the battle ahead. It is going to be about capacity and competence”, he said.
Fanwo also said his principal is not intimidated by any aspirant in the race including Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, Godwin Emiefele, Central Bank Governor.
“Bello is not intimidated by their pedigree, profile, experience and exposure and what they’ve done in the past. Now, when you compare that to what someone is doing at the moment, I think they are the ones that should be intimidated right now. Because it is not about what you have achieved in the past. It’s going to be what you are doing now and what you can do for this nation from 2023.
“So the governor too has garnered some experience. He has been a chief executive of his state for the past six, seven years. And also, he has been able to see governance at that very close range. So we are very confident that he’s going to do a great job for Nigeria”, the Commissioner said.
On the fears that APC may adopt a consensus candidate to the detriment of other aspirants for the party’s presidential ticket, he said: “Our party is a party of rules. I’m very sure you avail yourself of the constitution of the party, especially as it affects the mode of selecting candidates for elections. You have all the options; consensus, direct and indirect primaries.
“So what I will say is this, if it’s going to be a contest where people will seek for votes, Yahaya Bello will be there. If it is going to be on consensus, he is basically the youngest, and a serving governor who is performing wonders in unifying, securing and progressing his people, definitely the consensus will be Yahaya Bello. So let’s let’s wait and watch. If it’s going to be a contest where we are going to look for votes we will be there. If it is consensus, it is still going to be GYB.”
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