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2023: Southern Governors Should Forget Presidential Ambition, It’s Time For The North – Babba Mazoji, By Abdullahi Sheka Kano

FORMER Katsina State Senatorial aspirant of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Honorable Zaharaddeen Babba Mazoji , says the 1999 Constitution and the Constitutions of existing political parties have not declared any zone ineligible to run for the presidency.  Mazoji is answering Questio onThe body language politically and naturally of Nigerians today and the outcome of the meeting Southern Governors meeting in Lagos is that the presidential ticket be zoned to the South. Don’t you think national interest should supersede personal interest?
Zaharddeen Babba Mazoji said, Well, I don’t see any body language either as a law or as a document that guides us in politics and in politicking. As far as I am concerned, democracy is guided by constitution; by rule of law. It is not personal interest of people, selfish interest of individuals or the projections by other people that will guide our democracy.
“If you look at all other parts of the world, even in America that is the leader of democracy of the world, citizens are guided by the document called constitution to aspire for any office. As far as I am concerned, the Nigerian Constitution and that of People Democratic Party (PDP), as of today, unless there is any amendment in the future, has declared that every Nigerian who is qualified based on the qualification that is enshrined in the constitution should aspire for any office in the land: Governor, State Assembly, National Assembly. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, my constitution, both party and national, has not barred North  from contesting for Presidency. So, no statement of any group can stop our people.  Definitely I know that power comes from God first and if God destined that North will produce the next President, that will happen. I have never left my party.
“You see we are Nigerians and I believe citizenship is very important. I pray that one day, we will become like America, United Kingdom, France where citizenship overrides all other considerations: ethnic, religious, tribal. All these things are because we don’t take that citizenship as we are supposed to. Voters are supposed to determine, not me, not you, not any regional governor. Voters will determine who they want to elect. Every Nigerian citizen should come out with something that he is going to offer to the people and sell himself or herself. The person can say this is what I have for education, housing, infrastructural provision, human development and so on. Then, people will compare and see who, between Mr. A and B, is supposed to be our President. It is not regional.
Mazoji emphasis that People should be allowed to go and contest, present themselves, offer what they want to offer to the nation and Nigerians will decide and see who is going to be our best President. So is not by allocation, zoning or no zoning that is not an issue. As far as I am concerned, it is democracy and democracy has some principles and practices that have to be followed. Nobody will sit in Lagos and say these governors were elected. Were they elected based on zoning from their states.
He was also ask that, the problem of bandits, kidnappers is very rampant in the country. If Northerner  eventually get the ticket and become President of this country under PDP, how do you think this problem can become a thing of the past and what do you think President Muhammadu Buhari ought to have done to solve this problem?
First of all, I will say he (President Buhari) is doing what he ought to have done. He has started with the change in the leadership of the military and the arrangements they are making. You see, initially the President was very soft; some governors will come and tell him we should negotiate; we are negotiating, some people are saying no; let’s use action but I think now he has resolved by his statement that anybody seen with AK47 should be shot..
What our Great Party PDP  will do as a follow-up to your question is that: one, I believe in restructuring of the police. That is going to take care of all the local problems. I will prefer a situation whereby those people in the state should be made to concentrate in their localities; they know everybody there and they know the new comers; they know their forests; they know their terrain and if you provide the police and other security agency’s with all things that they need for their families and well being of their children things will be managed and well handled.
Reacting to the development,  MazoJi maintained that one of that Southerner t is worthy of being the president, advising them to forget nursing the ambition. He stressed that Nigeria leaders should always remember that they are in that position for the common good of all Nigerians and not for personal gain.

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