The Southern and Middle Belt Alliance (SaMBA) has rejected plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to present a Fulani presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
Rwang Pam Jnr, spokesperson of the group said in a statement that a Fulani man cannot end his eight-year rule and hand it over to another Fulani in 2023.
The Alliance warned that if PDP, under the chairmanship of Iyorchia Ayu, succeeds in their plan to allow a Northern Fulani to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, the people of the Middle Belt will hold Ayu responsible if Fulani herdsmen killings continue.
The group also slammed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, for their selfishness on the issue of zoning the presidency to the South.
“After reviewing political horse-trading ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the group wondered how the likes of Atiku, Saraki and Tambuwal, who are Fulani by tribe, have the effrontery to come out and declare for the presidency in 2023 when a Northerner, Fulani and a Muslim is about completing his eight years in power,” the group said.
SaMBA also described Atiku, Saraki, Mohammed and Tambuwal as “selfish and greedy leaders who are only desperate to grab power” asking what they did with the offices they have occupied so far.
The group added that for the likes of Atiku, Saraki and Tambuwal to talk down on zoning is like laying a foundation for the disintegration of Nigeria because the country’s constitution was established on the basis of equity, fairness and justice.
It also said that those politicians, who still believe that they have the population and therefore must hold on to power, were displaying a Stone-Age mentality, adding that if the Northern politicians believe that could hold on to power because of their large population, then the Southern part of the country should also hold on to their natural resources.
The statement reads: “The country was established on the principle of fairness, equity, and justice. This presupposes that every part of the country will be treated fairly and be given a sense of belonging. But the recent declaration by the trio of Atiku, Saraki and Tambuwal is an indication that they don’t believe in that principle.
“To us, their ambition to rule is not about service to the country, but about grabbing power with the sole aim of plundering our resources. If we critically review their administration, when they were in the corridors of power, what development did they bring to the nation?”
The urged PDP to consider the country’s unity and take a firm and transparent position on the issue of zoning, rather than hide behind one finger because “any attempt by the party to throw the presidency open could pave way for another Fulani man, and that will backfire immediately.”
