The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), on Friday, rejected the zoning arrangement for the 2023 Presidency.
The NEF believed that zoning the Presidency to a particular zone of the country contradicts the standard norms of democracy.
The position of the group was made known by the NEF Convener, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, during a meeting with the Coalition of Northern Groups in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Prof. Abdullahi maintained that political parties should allow their members to freely vote for candidates of their choice.
READ ALSO: http://(REVEALED) 2023: Sanwo-Olu may drop Hamzat as running mate
He noted that the power-sharing deal between the North and South was long dead and buried.
Ssid he, “Candidates should be allowed to contest elections on the basis of merit and their competence.
“Merit should be the yardstick to get the country’s next president, the position should be open to standard norms of the democratic process,” he said.
Prof. Abdullahi explained that he presided over the selection of the northern presidential consensus aspirants – which involved former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State – in his personal capacity and “not on behalf of Northern Elders Forum.”
