The Governor of Plateau State who also doubles as the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong has claimed that the Northern Governors of the ruling APC did not necessarily want the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to be President of Nigeria when they insisted that power must shift to the southern part of the country.
According to Lalong, who held the position of the Director General of Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign organisation, their push to have a southern presidency was rather in order to promote the unity, peace, and stability of Nigeria within the spirit of fairness, equity, and justice which the late Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, stood for.
Lalong made these comments while speaking at the 9th Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Lecture on Leadership and Good Governance held in Lafia, Nasarawa State, a statement issued by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Macham Makut, said on Saturday
The Governor said, ‘When I led my colleagues – the Northern Governors – to push for power shift to the South, it was not because we wanted Asiwaju to be President. Rather, we wanted to ensure that justice and fairness prevail in our nation for unity, peace and harmony. That is what we believe our revered father of blessed memory, Sir Ahmadu Bello, would do in such circumstances. Fortunately, the party delegates chose Asiwaju who was eventually accepted by Nigerians as he was unanimously elected’.
Read Also: Ahead Tinubu’s Inauguration, FG Begins Aso Villa Renovation
Lalong urged all Nigerians, both in the North and across the country, to support Tinubu as he takes on the mantle of leadership.
The governor noted that, because the late Sardauna lived a life of accommodation, tolerance, justice and fairness, his legacies have endured long after his demise and continue to inspire leadership in the region and country at large. According to him, the North is an important stakeholder in the Nigerian project and its contributions towards his election cannot be over emphasized.
‘The Northern region needs serious attention in various sectors ranging from security, education, infrastructure, agriculture, economic revival and restoration of law and order in various areas that have been ravaged by insecurity.
‘It is heartening to note that the Northern Governors Forum, under my leadership, has done a great deal of work on bringing our people together as one people with a common destiny,’ Lalong added.
Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, said it was a privilege for his state to host the very important event, which reminds the region and the nation about the values that Sardauna lived and died for.
He said, although there have been challenges in the country after the demise of Sir Ahmadu Bello, some progress has been made which can be built upon to make the Northern region and Nigeria a better place.