2023: Arewa leader pledges support for Tinubu

By Emmanuel Adeleke

The leader of the Arewa Community in Southern Nigeria,  Alhaji Musa Saidu, has said the North will support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to become the next president of Nigeria in 2023.

Saidu, who is the National Coordinator, Arewa Initiative for Peaceful Coexistence in Southern Nigeria (AIPCSN), disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),  in Port Harcourt, on Thursday.

“The issue of power shift started during the military regime, there was a general agreement for power shift from North to South and that was how former President Olusegun Obasanjo emerged as the president in 1999.

“Late President Umaru Yar’Adua who succeeded Obasanjo spent only two years and few months in office and former President Goodluck Jonathan who was the Vice President replaced him.

“But President Muhammadu Buhari came on board on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) without any zoning arrangement.

“Buhari got massive support from the North and the South West, especially from political bigwigs like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the former Lagos State Governor who happened to be the National Leader of the APC.

“The South East outrightly rejected the arrangement, they didn’t support the APC because they had nothing to do with the party.

“The South South too failed to support the APC, leaving only the North and the South West, the scenario repeated itself in 2015 and Tinubu also played a prominent role in APC’s victory at the poll,” he said.

Saidu, who is also a human rights activist, said that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) met after the election and recognised the contributions of Tinubu towards Buhari’s reelection.

“It was agreed that Tinubu should be supported after Buhari to win the APC ticket and succeed him in office in 2023.

“It was agreed that Tinubu will be supported in line with the Northern tradition of paying back those who supported us in our hours of need,” he said.

Saidu expressed optimism that the APC would win the 2023 presidential poll with the former governor of Lagos State as its candidate.

“Tinubu has the best credential to fly the APC ticket in 2023,” he added.