Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, on Wednesday, said zoning the presidency of Nigeria to the South in 2023 is not compulsory.
He said it’s not a must that the next president of Nigeria emerge from the Southern part of the country.
Zulum, who reiterated his support for powershift to the southern part of the country, however, cautioned his colleagues, saying politics is a game of numbers.
The Borno governor stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
Southern governors had last Monday declared support for rotational presidency, demanding that the next president should come from the South.
Chairman of Southern Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who read the communiqué agreed to by member states, at the end of their meeting in Lagos, stated, “The forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unanimously agreed that the Presidency of Nigeria be rotated between southern and northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the south.”
Zulum, however, noted that the Southern governors were not wrong to call for a power shift to their region, adding that that would promote unity.
The Borno governor said, “I have said it times without number that I, Professor Babagana Zulum, I am of the view that the presidency should go to the south in the year 2023 because the unity of our country is very important.
“Secondly, inclusivity is very important. Thirdly, I am in the APC. Six or seven years ago, APC had zoned the presidency to northern Nigeria based on the agreement that in the year 2023, the presidency should go to the south.
“But again, this is politics. We are supposed to meet and discuss this issue among ourselves, among the political class.
“This statement that people are saying that the president must go to the south, I want them to remove the word must.”