The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has given the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, conditions to back his 2023 presidential ambition.
Speaking to DailyPost, National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima said the North would study his relationship with Nigerians from other regions before deciding to support Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
According to the AYCF president, the former Lagos State governor’s ability to maintain a good relationship with other regions would be a deciding factor for the North.
“If Tinubu decides to contest, there is a way we will answer him. If he decides to contest, we will certainly look at his relationship with other Nigerians outside the Southwest, how fair has he been we other Nigerians outside the Southwest,” Shettima said.
“How far has he been able to maintain good relationship outside the Southwest, What has he been able to do to give back to other Nigerians outside his region. We will discuss it, time will tell.”
There has been rumour that the former Lagos State governor would contest the 2023 presidential election.
Despite the rumours and pressure from some Nigerians, Tinubu has not declared his intention to run for the presidency.
Arewa youths had called on Igbo leaders to deal with IPOB’s Nnamdi Kanu and other pro-Biafra activists before negotiating for the presidency in 2023.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo (Worldwide) had expressed confidence that the South-East would produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023.
Reacting, Shettima said it would be difficult to trust the South-East with power amid the call for Nigeria’s breakup.
He said, “If Ohanaeze says they will negotiate, then that is a bit of politics but unfortunately for them, they need to ensure sanity in their region first.
“Nobody will deprive them the opportunity to produce the president being a Nigerian but not when they have one of their own (Nnamdi Kanu) threatening the corporate existence of our nation, Nigeria.”