The Governor of Ondo who doubles as chairman of southern governors' forum Rotimi Akeredolu SAN said presidency must return to the south in 2023 since president Buhari is from the North.
The governor has insisted that power rotation has been an unwritten agreement in the country since the return to democracy in 1999 which Olusegun Obasanjo ruled and handed over to late Ya' adua.
The governor spoke during a lecture in remembrance in University of Ibadan one-year remembrance of Prof. Bankole Oke with the title being Nigeria' The politics of religion in a transitional society.
He said the Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi can contest because he is from the south.
According to the governor, ''A party that picked somebody from the North as its presidential candidate is not doing so in the country’s interest. Peter Obi has the right to contest because he is from the South.
“We are ready to give it whatever it takes to make sure power returns to the South in 2023.”
“There appears to be an understanding that power must rotate between the North and the South. This understanding witnessed the contest of two candidates from the South-West for the Presidency. It was part of the unwritten agreement that the power equation must be balanced to allay the fear of domination harboured by the people of the South.
“There is a conscious attempt not to disrupt the extant agreement. There has been a seamless transition from one civilian regime to another since 1999, the longest in the political history of Nigeria.
''The current political permutations raise strong suspicions on an undeclared motive to thwart the arrangement that has been working for the country. The rotation of the office of the President is between the North and the South since the inception of the Fourth Republic.''
Religion, Ethnicity and corruption has being the major problem of Nigeria a great nation that has all it takes to compete with many western countries.
Akeredolu continued ''Religion is currently being deployed most shamelessly by the elites to gain unmerited advantage. The earlier we stop this dangerous and divisive campaign, the better it will be for everyone. Any war fought to establish the supremacy of a faith over others can only end in tears. The manipulative skills of politicians currently put to use will aggravate an already bad situation.
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