By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
Former governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa has faulted the continued clamouring and opting for rotational presidency between North and South regions, saying it is the catalyst to the country’s political mistake.
He said Nigeria must jettison the idea if it really wants to achieve peace and peaceful existence among citizens adding that ” that should be our watchwords rather than advocating for zoning or secession in the midst of severe and unwarranted challenges affecting the country’s unity and cmon interest.”
” Rather than having political cohesion through practice, it has always caused tension, bringing mistrust and threat occasioned by calls for restructuring and or secession among diverse Nigerians.”
The 2019 Presidential aspirant on he platform of he opposition PDP in a statement by he personally signed and made available to Journalists in Sokoto state on Sunday, said it was time that politicians piped down on such , adding ” they should concentrate mainly on the issue of good governance for the country to forge ahead in the right and acceptable direction for prosperity.”
However, the former governor further warned Nigerians to henceforth be wary of making further comments bordering on the issue of zoning or rotation of the position of President to any part of the country.
His words: ” such agitations are getting increasingly strident over time to the extent that, they are causing politicians and social commentators to add their voices to the issue and in many respects misplacing priorities as regard to what crucially affects our dear country.
“To my knowledge, first as a Nigerian politician with considerable political and governmental experiences, I did not know when and how anybody in the country has arrived at zoning the position of the President to any zone, whether to the South or to North.
“I have no faintest idea that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or even the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has made any proclamation to the effect that the position of President is zoned to a particular section of the country.
“In recent time, such a sensitive issue along with other similar issues are either being canvassed or deliberately touted thereby causing a lot of political tension and widening the gap of our common unity of the country.”
Bafarawa continued : ” Is high time our politicians pipe down on such political issues and concentrate mainly on the issue of good governance so that our country would eventually breath some peace and tranquility.” Bafarawa stated.
Accordingly, Bafarawa urged politicians across tribal and regional divides to see the need of coming together for the common good of the country.
“We should do everything possible at our disposal to contribute our quota towards the peace and security of the country in other to bequeath lasting and sustainable legacies for up coming generations .”
Similarly, the former governor while admitting that the country was faced with insecurity challenges such as Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping and threat for secession, also noted its slow economic growth resulting from increased level of poverty among most Nigerians.
According to him” all these challenges are important issues that call for considerable degree of attention not only by the government but also by both political and the traditional institutions.”
He stressed further” at this crucial time when the country is enmeshed in various challenges, I use this opportunity to offer advise to our politicians as well as our numerous socio-political commentators spread across the country to delve less in politics and offer more constructive advise on how best the government could get the country out of the current mess.
“Our advise should be centered on proffering solutions to problems of insecurity as well economy so that we could douse the tensed atmosphere brought about by the duo and other sundry issues.
“I have the hope and confidence that by the time our politicians and social commentators talk less about rotational or zoning of Presidency to zones or regions thus concentrating on substantial issues affecting the country, there would be less tension and or hypes which further divide the country along regional, religious and tribal lines”, he expressed optimism.
