Ahead of the 2023 general elections, results from a survey across Nigeria by political pressure groups have indicated a preference for the Southern part of the country to succeed President Buhari.
The survey by the Inter-Party Presidential Consensus Forum (IPCF) also said the Northern region is rooting for a Southern candidate as Nigeria’s next president.
The group has now called on the 17 Southern States to adopt a consensus Presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 elections.
IPCF also demanded that the two major political parties in the country, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) zone their Presidential tickets to the Southern part of the country.
A statement by IPCF, jointly signed by its National Coordinator, Abubakar Danladi, and Secretary, Dr. Olaniyi Adegbite stressed that its decision was based on findings from a series of extensive surveys conducted across the country.
It called on politicians of northern extraction to, in the interest of national peace, justice, equity and fairness, resist the lure of contesting the 2023 Presidential election and allow the South to produce the next President, after the eight years tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.
It explained that the result of its survey shows that most Nigerians, across the country, believed that the Presidency should go to the South and that Governor Udom Emmanuel should fit into the frame of the President who has the capacity and state of mind to rebuild the nation.
“We have been conducting a series of surveys and reviews among Nigerians with Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) and the result shows that most Nigerians would support a younger leader as well as power-shift to the Southern parts of the country citing national peace, equity, justice and rapid development as major reasons.
“Interestingly, results from the Northern states show that voters from that region preferred a President from the Southern part of the country to succeed President Buhari.”
The IPCF informed that it would soon commence a nationwide consensus tour ahead of primaries by political parties.
