The North Decides 2023, a pressure group formed to mobilise the region towards the general election, said it was in support of former military President Ibrahim Babangida and Northern Elders Forum (NEF’s) position that an energetic person should be elected as the President of the country come 2023.
The group, which is part of the Good Governance League of Nigeria (GGL-N), an enlarged platform of 19 other associations promoting civil rule in Northern States, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must come up with a young presidential candidate.
To this end, the Northern group has asked the PDP to support the current governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuelk to take a shot at the 2023 presidency.
“He is someone with proven record of good governance, who is methodical in approach to economic and security challenges in his domain. It is a well-known fact that, by his leadership of Akwa Ibom State, he has demonstrated that it is possible to turn around the fortunes of any society, with the right kind of leadership,” the group said in a communique signed by its convener, Comrade Balarabe Rufai.
It added: “We share the position of Northern Elders Forum and former President Babangida, that in 2023 Nigerians should go for energetic, competent and credible candidates for the presidency.
“It is our conviction that both the elders and the former president were referring to politicians like Governor Gabriel Emmanuel.
“Without prejudice to the right of other Nigerians to contest the nation’s presidency in 2023, we believe Governor Emmanuel Udom has the capacity to deliver on his mandate that would be freely given by the Nigerian electorate in 2023 and even beyond.”
According to to the group, the Akwa Ibom governor is on record to have the most violent-free State in today’s Nigeria.
“No killings, no cult gang clashes, no kidnappings in the magnitude we see in many parts of this country today. In terms of economic empowerment and revitalisation, Akwa Ibom’s Governor Udom Emmanuel has made a lot of spectacular moves. He pursued and is still pursuing vigorous empowerment projects, especially in rural areas. This effort has made hundreds of thousands proud millionaires who are currently training and re-training others to become economically self-reliant.
“Secondly, when he became governor, he started running the Akwa Ibom Airport with about five airlines on the government’s fleet at the Airport. In his effort at expansion, he has now brought in 10 more. Now, the Akwa Ibom airport has 15 aircrafts competing for space. He has also rehabilitated the runway and roads linking the airport to communities.
“The Governor has also been executing multimillion naira infrastructural projects since his inauguration into office non-stop.
“In terms of managing the political leadership, holding the rungs of power in the State, he has also made some indelible footprints. And this partly explains why you hardly read the news of Executive/Legislature rift, or uncontrollable internal political party bickering in Akwa Ibom State,” the communique added.
