In a recent media address in Ado Ekiti the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), speculated that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s pioneer chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, would be blamed if Southwest fails to clinch the presidential ticket of the party in 2023 hence the group has also advised Tinubu, Fayemi and Akande to unite Southwest to prevent the loss of the presidential ticket.
The ARG’s Publicity Secretary in Ekiti State, Prince Michael Ogungbemi, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the Southwest had the prospect of producing the President after President Muhammadu Buhari’s two terms in office.
“About 2023 presidency, ARG had met and we have concluded that the Yoruba nation is ready to lead Nigeria. We have a blueprint that we can present to any presidential candidate that can bring better democratic governance to all Nigerians.
“The South-West is ready to take over. We have human and material resources. The political leaders must go on consultations. We have six geopolitical zones, Southwest is just a block. Tinubu must lead this block. Also, luckily, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who is the NGF chairman, is from the Southwest.
“They must move for a united family to clamour for presidency for the South-West and produce a unified front. If they can speak with one voice, we will actually clinch this ticket, because it is our turn.”
“We can’t go into that race with a divided house. Tinubu, Fayemi, Akande, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, Prof Banji Akintoye, Senator Femi Okurounmu, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) and others must convene a meeting of progressive politicians in the zone so that we can be united. If we have a candidate that is acceptable to both the North and the South, we will surely win.
“But Yoruba nation will blame Tinubu, Fayemi and Akande, if the South-West fails to clinch the ticket,” he stated.
The ARG chief stressed the need for restructuring, saying it remained the panacea for peace and unity among diverse Nigerian citizens.
“Nigeria needs to be restructured, but what we need is classical restructuring, it might not be holistic for now. With restructuring, governance at the state will be healthier and more benefiting, the running of the states will be healthier.
“Governance under presidential system is very powerful and costly, but with power residing in the states and local governments, things will be better. We must have a roundtable referendum to achieve this. It is not to satisfy certain groups, it will bring geometric progressive order, because we have not been moving at the right pace.”
“The North will finish its eight-year tenure in 2023 and based on that, the presidency should return to South-West because former President Goodluck Jonathan is from the South-East block and he also spent six years, apparently eight if the one he spent along with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua is added.”
