Declare support for South-East presidency
The supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, under the umbrella of North4North Support for Atiku, have said that at the age of 80 years, he (Atiku) can no longer handle the country.
The northern group, therefore, pitched their tent for a southern president in the coming 2023 presidential election.
The group, which claimed to have worked for the former Vice President’s candidacy over the years, asked him to take a rest and forget his presidential ambition.
Leader of the group, Okpanachi Jacob, with hundreds of youths and women, addressed a rally along the new Yokawa Way, Ungwan Maijero in Chikun Local Council of Kaduna State yesterday, insisting that age is against the former Vice President from becoming the next president.
He stressed that at 80 years, Atiku cannot handle the myriad of challenges confronting the country.
Jacob, while addressing placard-carrying youths, also said that the North should allow the South-East region to taste the presidency in 2023.
Also, in a speech signed by the National Co-ordinator, Mohammed Garba and the National Secretary, Abubakar Sanni, the North4North Support for Atiku noted that there would be dire consequences for the region’s (North) failure to allow other regions to become the next president.
He said: “Nigeria is confronted by a cocktail of destabilising forces that threaten her continued existence as a united entity and we must find a way to equitably give every region of the country a sense of belonging.
“We must give all parts of Nigeria a chance to become the president of the country, or we might slide dangerously into the narratives of enemies of the state who will have a ready recruitment pool from among disgruntled groups.
“The Presidency cannot also afford to go for an older candidate, considering the enormity of the demands of the job in the 21st century where there are series of factors playing into a tectonic in economic centres of gravity, coupled with the many challenges confronting Nigeria that require the proactive person with energy to cope with the rigours of the office.
“We, for our part, have promoted the candidature of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for years, but we humbly call on the former Vice President to do us a good turn in return for the many good turns we have done for him.”
