2023: Our position on southern presidency still stands – Sanwo-Olu

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By Lanre Oloyede

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has maintained that the position of Southern governors on zoning of All Progressives Congress, APC presidential ticket to the South still stands.

Sanwo-Olu, who stated this Tuesday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja after submitting his nomination and expression of interest forms, added that allowing the Southern part of Nigeria to produce a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari is the only fair deal.

While Fielding questions on zoning from journalists at the APC venue of sale of forms, the Lagos State governor singled out the Southwest as the preferred destination that should produce the party’s presidential flag bearer.

On Monday, a chieftain and member of National Caucus of APC Chief Sam Nkire, stated that the party has been forced to abandon its zoning agenda as it prepares to go into the presidential primary election because of the possibility of PDP giving its presidential ticket to a northern candidate.

When asked on why northern aspirants are declaring to contest since APC appeared to have zoned its presidential ticket to the South, Chief Nkire, who was the Deputy National chairman of Reformed-APC, stressed that the party was watching keenly so as not to play into the hands of opposition PDP stressing that should APC give its presidential ticket to a Southerner and opposition PDP gives its to a northerner, the ruling party will automatically go into oblivion.

Sanwo-Olu, who is seeking a second term in office, said, “I think we believe so (Southern Presidency) and I think that’s what is fair, that is what is just. But it is really about Nigeria. There are aspirations everywhere and there are so many qualified people but for equity and fairness we have in our country, I think it is just morally fair that it goes to that part and the South-west is top-notch in that. We believe that our positions from those meetings are still very valid and everybody must consider.”

At the recent meeting of South-west APC presidential aspirants, the Lagos governor said it was unfair for anyone to call it a failure