Matthew Kolawole, speaker of the Kogi house of assembly, has asked northern lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the presidential bid of Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi.
Kolawole made the request at a meeting of the Northern States Legislatures Forum (NSLF) in Abuja on Thursday.
Speaking at the meeting, the Kogi speaker said Nigerians want a youthful and purposeful leadership in 2023.
He said the north-central zone has not been represented at the presidency level since independence, and called on the legislators to endorse Bello.
“It will interest you to know that, having moved round the country, there is no doubt that Nigerians are yearning for a youthful and purposeful leadership come 2023 political dispensation,” he said.
“The youths who are a larger percentage also want to be seen and counted in providing leadership that will reposition the country for the betterment of all.”
“We are representatives of the grassroots, hence this meeting is critical to the survival of our region come 2023, hence we are calling on all legislatures who are elected on the platform of the APC in the nineteen northern states to rally round and endorse Alhaji Yahaya Bello as our preferred choice to fly the flag of our great party come 2023 presidential election.”
In reference to the southern governors’ clamour for power to shift to the south in 2023, the speaker said rotational arrangement is not in the constitution of Nigeria.
Speaking further, he said “it is evident that Nigerians deserve a leader that is young, vibrant, competent, that has the capacity to deliver and governor Yahaya Bello fits in to take our great country to another level of development considering his giant strides in the area of security, youths and women inclusion in governance, infrastructure development, human capital development, unification of all diverse groups and interests in Kogi state.
“It is on this note that I call on our excellencies, right honourable speakers and distinguished honourable colleagues to rally round one of our own, the north central zone, and indeed your beloved brother, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, being the youngest governor in the country to become president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023.”
