2023 Presidency: Afenifere Advocates For Yoruba Presidency |The Source

By Akinwale Kasali

Less than 26 months to the 2023 Presidential Election, the struggle for which Zone occupies the top seat is heating up.

Yoruba Socio-cultural and Political Groups, the Yoruba Patriots Movement (YPM) and a pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, say  the South-West should produce the next President come 2023, just like the Igbo are, advocating to occupy the seat.

The SW Group is urging the All Progressives Congress, APC, to honour the Pre-2015 general election agreement to ensure fairness and equity.

This call by the Afenifere Group is coming days after former Ogun State Governor and a leader of the APC, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, revealed that there was a gentleman  agreement  by the Parties that merged in 2014 to form the APC, that there would be zoning and that President Muhammadu Buhari would rule for two terms and relinquish power to the South.

At a news conference in Ibadan, Oyo State,  heralding a Yoruba summit tagged: “Yoruba Nation  Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow”, the YPM National Coordinator,  Oladosu Oladipo, said anything apart from Yoruba President  in 2023 would not be tolerated.

He said: “You cannot be a good Nigerian without being a good Yoruba man. Our fair share must be given to us in Nigeria. This summit is not partisan but political. It is our turn to produce President  in 2023. In fairness, power should return to the Southwest.”

The Secretary-General of Afenifere led by Sen. Biyi Durojaiye and Mr. Bayo Aina, said the Yoruba have realised that it is only the APC that can give Yoruba candidate a ticket.

The Afenifere stand will be a huge disappointment to the South-east zone  which was counting on the South-west for support to occupy the Presidential seat in 2023. The South-east remains the only zone which has not occupied the seat.