A former Governor of Zamfara State and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, Abdulaziz Yari, has stated that the All Progressives Congress, APC, would ensure that Presidential power shifts to the South in 2023.
He also said that he may vie for the Office of the party’s National Chairman, should it be zoned to the North.
Yari noted that the ongoing reform of the party, would enable it to avoid a re-occurrence of the challenges that confronted it in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
Speaking in an interview, he said that it is expected that power would shift to the South, after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.
His words: “As we have seen the nature of how our Presidency will look like, it has to go to the South. The Chairmanship may likely as well come to the North, in preparation for that.”
Asked if he is one of the Leaders supporting power shift to the South in 2023, Yari stated: “Of course, that is how things are supposed to be.”
He however, declined to be specific about which of the three geopolitical zones in the South should have the ticket.
His words: “I do not want to make an offensive statement. APC Leaders will decide.
“As a Leader, I do not want to talk and be offending some of our members and Leaders.”
Yari disclosed that the ongoing reforms in the APC, will help avert the challenges the party faced before the 2019 polls.
He added: “The issues we faced towards 2019, our preparation for the party’s Convention and primaries, was just seven months, which did not give us enough time for litigation and all other issues that came up, to get settled for the primaries.
“If we do it (elect party Officers) now, we have like two or two and a half years to prepare for the 2023 general elections.”
On leading the APC as its National Chairman, if it is zoned to the North-West, he stated: “Well, the issue of Chairmanship, it depends on how the Leaders sit down and look at it. It also depends on how the zoning is decided.
“If the zoning is decided in favour of the North-West, I believe I am one of the potentials that can be used. Otherwise, it is not something that we can say is zoned to South-West, South-South, South-East, or elsewhere.
“So, if it is zoned to the North, definitely I am one of the potentials. I will run for APC Chairmanship. If not, I am still a party man.”
