Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, has said the rotation of presidency between the Northern and Southern Nigeria is legal as it is recognised by the 1999 constitution, as amended, citing section 14.
Recall, the National Chairman and former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had last week, said the party is yet to zone presidency to any zone ahead of 2023 elections, which had elicited negative reactions from the Southern Nigeria.
The Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, described the agitation for presidency from politicians of Southern extraction, as a legitimate request.
Bamidele made the statements on Tuesday, in Ado Ekiti, during empowerment programme for his constituents across the five councils in the district.
Materials distributed at the event are: mini buses, sowing machines, generating sets, ploughing machine, grinding machines, wheel chairs, tricycles, motorbikes, ambulance buses, Ventilators, fertilisers, driers, Hilux van, among others.
Addressing newsmen at the Oluyemi Kayode stadium, in Ado Ekiti, venue of the event, Bamidele, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said: “Rotational presidency is legitimate and constitutional .“Let me state that Section 14 of the costitution and various sections of the 1999 Constitution, as amended stated that no section of the country should dominate others in terms of positions .“Let me also state that the primary concept of governance is welfare and good governance. The Section emphasized that Nigeria shall not be governed in such a way that any particular section will have domineering advantage over others.
“That is the whole essence of equitable distribution of wealth and power. Part of the equitable distribution of power is allowing presidency to rotate between North and South .“Though the constitution didn’t say specifically about rotation, but logically and through various judicial interpretations, allowing it to rotate is legal and constitutional”.
Bamidele also added that allowing the presidency to return to the South in 2023 will douse the raging restiveness and tension in the country.
“Speaking as a Nigerian, there is social tension in Nigeria today and when you have situations whereby Nigerians are beginning to doubt our togetherness and no longer trust leadership, people should not be thinking about political dominance.“ There is no part of this nation and zone that cannot produce the best. If you check properly, majority desire in APC is that, there should be free, fair and credible primary to elect our presidential candidate and not by imposition”, he said.
Bamidele expressed gratitude to his constituency for working hard to support him in the last three years.“What I am doing today is part of how to give back to the society. This is not the first empowerment I have done. I have empowered over 5,000 people in my constituency in agriculture, tying and dying and others.“
This is a basic and fundamental thing that I think will benefit our people in critical areas like Agriculture, education, security, health and general empowerment. “I have procured 10,000 volume of books for our students while two ambulances and Ventilators were donated to Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital”, he stated. The Chairman of the occasion and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, urged the Ekiti voters to vote for the APC candidate, Biodun Oyebanji during the June 18 poll. The former Governor saluted the Senator for giving a strong showing through the empowerment programme, saying this has further showed that he is a good and worthy representative.
“I know that all of you love Biodun Oyebanji, but he can only become governor if you vote for him. Don’t stay at home and be expecting victory. But if you go out and work, victory shall be ours”, he said. Tactically referring to Bamidele’s reelection bid, Adebayo said: “Senator Bamidele has done well with this empowerment, he has done creditably well and this is kind of him. Please, don’t forget to remember him when the time comes”.
Credit: Daily Sun