Governor of Kaduna State and chieftain of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Nasir El-Rufa, has reiterated his position that the next President of Nigeria should come from the South and, as a result, presidential candidate of his party for the 2023 election is expected to come from the region.
Governor El-Rufai stated this on Wednesday, while not only confirming the zoning of positions ahead of the party’s national convention slated for March 26, 2022 but also telling the modality for the zoning.
He said what the party leadership and APC governors did in meeting President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the leader of the party, was to flip party’s positions held in the last eight years to between the North and South where all such offices occupied by North go to the South and vice versa with particular mention of National Chairman to come from the Northern part of the country while National Secretary comes from the South.
“Our expectation is that our presidential candidate will come from somewhere in the South,” he said during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to him, the southern caucus of the ruling party will then decide which part of the area the candidate will come from.
“It is up to the southern caucus of the APC to now propose to us an acceptable candidate,” the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) explained.
Governor El-Rufai also believes the APC will retain the presidential seat, arguing that the party has all it takes to do that.
“I think Nigerians expect much more than we have done but if Nigerians reflect deeply and compare with the other party, we are still a better choice,” he said.
“I believe that in 2023, the APC is going to win the presidential election as well as the majority of the governorship elections.”
He also ruled out contesting for any post in the forthcoming general elections but said he would do so if President Muhammadu Buhari tells him to go for the presidential post.
“That would be a different conversation. I’ll explain to him why I don’t think it’s a good idea but of course, if he insists, I will. But I’m tired,” he said when asked if Buhari will make him change his mind.
“I’m physically tired because I do take my work seriously. For the last eight years, I’ve worked myself flat out and I’m not young anymore.
“I’ll be 63 next year. So I prefer to look at other options to contribute to the development of my country but of course, I didn’t want to run for Governor but the President insisted so if he insists that I do something I have so much regard for him and his judgment that I’ll do it even reluctantly.”
