Northern groups battle southern governors over PIB, Electoral law

The Southern governors’ position on raging national issues, yesterday, raised dust in the polity, eliciting support and criticisms in many quarters.

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Rising from a meeting attended by 15 of the 17 state governments in the South on Monday, the governors, among others, insisted on power shift to the South in 2023, and rejected removal of electronic transmission of results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

They also agreed to commence open grazing ban on September 1, opposed a three percent share of oil revenue for host communities and 30 percent share of profit for the exploration of oil and gas in the frontier basins in the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, just passed into law.

While the governors got the backing of southern members of the House of Representatives, Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, MBF, and PANDEF, immediate past Secretary-General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr. Anthony Sani; and the Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, criticized them.

Indeed, the CNG said southern governors could not stampede the North to get the Presidency.

CNG said while the North may not be opposed to the democratic and credible transfer of power to any competent person from any section of the country, the North will not support power moving to the zones of those that are using threats, violence and falsehood as means for political ascendancy.

CNG said specifically, its attention was drawn to “the audacious resolve of the Southern Governors to shield felons, arsonists and mass atrocity perpetrators in their midst by challenging the prerogative of the Federal Government to enforce law and order in all parts of the country and to protect the state and innocent citizens from persons and groups whose conduct constitute grave threats to national security and public safety.”

The Northern Coalition in a statement signed by its Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, noted “the gang-up against the North in particular, to force a regional shift of the presidency in 2023 by whatever means and tactics, including those that are clearly undemocratic.

“We also note the insistence by the Southern Governors on the retrogressive anti-grazing law that aims to selectively imperial the business of cattle herding and threaten the legitimate presence of pastoral communities in the South, irrespective of whether they are part of a crime committed or not.

“Having made these points clear, the CNG hereby wishes to address specific issues arising from the threats revealed in the communique released by the Southern Governors.

“The desperation of the Southern Governors to shield the assortment of criminals incite who carry out attacks, and wanton destruction of lives and properties of other citizens and national security assets has exposed the level of their complicity in the operations of the armed terror groups in the South.

“Their support for treasonable felony, by the subtle endorsement of the activities of such criminal separatist forces led by the likes of Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu, by warning the nation’s security agencies against operating in the region without obtaining permission from the governor of the particular state is a matter that must be given the seriousness it deserves.

“On national security and zoning, the CNG categorically affirmed that the North will not be stampeded or blackmailed into taking major decisions around rotating the presidency and shall insist that only a candidate who is competent and able to unite and secure Nigeria should be President in 2023, irrespective of where he or she comes from.

“On anti-grazing law, we emphatically repudiate the insistence on passing of the Anti grazing law by the Southern Governors that potentially jeopardizes the lives and property of pastoral communities in the South and call on the Federal Government to ensure their right to freedom of movement is not impeded by any legislation or obstacle imposed by a state or a community.

“We invite all northerners to note that clearly the pattern drawn from these strategies employed by the Southern Governors and elites are to achieve the results that the events of 1966 failed to realize, namely the destabilization of the country and in particular, bringing the North down on its knees by political and economic incapacitation.”

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