A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Karimi Sunday Steve has called on the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to zone the office of the President to North Central.
Karimi argued that the zone had contributed more than other zones to the unity, stability and development of Nigeria.
In a statement released to the media, Hon. Karimi Sunday posited that even though the North Central have supported people from other geopolitical zones to clinch the presidential ticket yet the zone has not had the opportunity of producing a democratically elected president of Nigeria.
According to the former legislator, the appeal became necessary because it will only be fair in the spirit of justice and equity to give the zone a shot at the presidency.
Karimi, therefore, appealed to Nigerians to support the calls on Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello to join the presidential race, saying it is no longer acceptable for the North Central to be sidelined or shortchanged.
“I made bold to say, therefore, that it has become imperative for Alhaji Yahaya Bello to heed the calls of Nigerians who believe in his qualification and capacity to give Nigeria a better leadership”.
Hon. Karimi urged Nigerians and the leaders of North Central, most importantly, to rise and queue behind the aspiration and give all needed support to Governor Yahaya Bello in his effort to become the next president of Nigeria.
“Today, Nigeria is going through challenges of insecurity, ethnic agitations, and cries of marginalization by various groups within the Nigeria State. These challenges have threatened the stability and progress of Kogi State in time past. However, under the leadership of Yahaya Bello, he has been able to provide leadership that confronted those challenges with dexterity and willpower such that no tribe is accusing the other of marginalization today while the State has become the most peaceful State in Northern Nigeria.
“I, therefore, have absolute confidence in the capacity and capability of Alhaji Yahaya Bello giving the way and manner he has been able to restore hope and confidence to the people of Kogi State within a very short time, it suggests that Nigeria will become more united, better secured and placed on the path of sustainable development under Yahaya Bello’s presidency,” he said.
Hon. Karimi also called on the women, the youths, the people with disability and the so-called children of nobody to rise and lend their support to the aspiration of Governor Bello to become the next President of Nigeria because it is only under the leadership of Alhaji Yahaya Bello that they can be given recognition and their voices heard.
Recall, that Hon. Karimi had remained consistent since 2020 when he had advocated that it was the turn of the North Central to produce the next President of Nigeria.