The Northern Elders’ Forum has said the situation in Nigeria has shown that the country does not need an ethnic President in 2023.
The spokesman for the group, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stated this yesterday at the 19th Daily Trust Dialogue with the theme, ‘2023: The Politics, Economy and Security’.
While expressing concerns over the tension in the polity in the build-up to the general elections, Baba-Ahmed said 90 per cent of Nigerian governors had no business being anywhere near power.
According to him, most of the governors don’t have the preparation, background and competencies to govern.
“One of the worst things you can do is to create huge additional anger around the cost of living, the cost of fuel, cost of prices, pushing the citizen into more depression and you want to have elections just a few months after,” he stated.
While calling for restructuring of the country, he added, “What we really need to do is put the federal system on the table and ask what is wrong?
“What is it that makes it impossible to reduce the powers or to regulate the powers of governance and restructure the country? But this is a word that is anathema to a lot of people in power today.”
For Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Nigerians must look into the possibility of selecting good leaders rather than focusing on the elections.
He said contrary to rumours, he was not interested in aspiring for any higher political position in 2023, adding that becoming the governor of Borno was not something he planned.
Zulum stated, “We are now coming closer to the 2023 general elections but for me, it’s not important, I’m not interested in any position. I never planned to be the governor of Borno State and I’m not willing to aspire for any higher position, but as a Muslim, you should always pray for the best.”
“We have to look into the possibility of selecting good leaders, whether we like it or not. How? That remains the very big question; whether in the PDP, whether in the APC, I think we need to see how we can get good leaders.”
