The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), has threatened to shock both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), if they field presidential candidates from the South in 2023.
Alhaji Yerima Shettima AYCF who issued the threat in an interview with The New Telegraph, insisted that the north will produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor, as according to him, zoning is not a biding agreement.
Shettima maintained that the APC and the PDP were not the only political parties in Nigeria, and should therefore be prepared to receive a shocker if they fail to give their tickets to the north.
“Interestingly, they are not the only two parties in Nigeria. So, if the APC or the PDP make an attempt to zone their presidential ticket to the south in the name of zoning, we will shock them,” he said.
“Zoning is a gentleman agreement and it is not bidding on anybody and certainly Nigerians will give their support to a party that does not zoned anything but allows competence to prevail at the end of the day because we must forge ahead. We must move on.”
Shettima maintained that the issue of zoning does not arise, while daring both parties to zone presidency to the south.
“The issue of zoning does not arise and I dare them to zone it to the south and look at the margin. At least PDP is not stupid. In fact, PDP is buying time to watch what APC will do,” he said.
“Let the APC do what they are doing then PDP will give them a surprise at the end of the day by bringing out a northern candidate, then we will see what happen. But my own side of the thinking is not about north or south but competence and youthfulness. Age must play a major role in deciding who lead us in this country. The defining factor must be a true Nigerian who has faith in the country and that is the person we are looking for.”