Jonathan Vatsa, the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former commissioner of information culture and tourism, has chastised the Northern faction advocating for the elimination of rotating presidency. He questioned the group’s justification for demanding an end to rotating presidency given that the North has lately lost control.
Speaking to reporters a few days ago in Yola, Adamawa State, a Northern organization operating under the banner of the Arewa New Agenda (ANA) claimed that despite having more influence over the country’s political direction and leadership, the North has been underutilized under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Referring to the “It is my turn” comment that Tinubu made ahead of the 2023 election, the group said that the rotation of the presidency between the South and the North should be stopped.
During a recent interview with the Sun, Vatsa said, “Because power just left the North you are now calling for a stoppage to the rotational arrangements. The call is an invitation to anarchy.
“The arrangements cannot be tampered with until President Tinubu completes his two terms of eight years and the Igbos have their turn as President, then we can come to the round table and discuss what we want as a country.”
Speaking further, Vatsa said that the claim from the group that the North has the number is an exaggeration of what is happening in the North today.
He said, “Their threat that they have the number is an over-exaggeration of the true situation in the North today because I don’t know which North they are referring to. Is it the geographical North or the one that is already in disarray and being ravaged by bandits and insurgents? There are killings in Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Kaduna and other places on a daily basis.
“Well, I have a feeling they are just trying to get attention. My advice to them is that they should get ready because the rains have started coming, they should prepare to go to farm.”
