Former president Obasanjo speaks on endorsing Atiku for 2023
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo appears to have abandoned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, arguing that the next Nigerian president after incumbent Muhammadu Buhari must be a southerner.
Obasanjo believed that because Buhari is from the north, he should be followed by a candidate from the south.
Atiku, who served as Obasanjo’s deputy from 1999 to 2007, is the leading northern candidate in the 2023 election.
Over the weekend, Obasanjo welcomed the leaders of the Mzough U Tiv (MUT) from Benue State in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
According to his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo supports rotational presidency, stating that authority must return to the south in 2023.
He encouraged Middle Belt leaders to continue advocating for the country’s rotating presidency, asking Nigerians not to vote based on emotions that could ruin the country.
Earlier, Tiv leader Iorbee Ihagh had asked Obasanjo to back a power transition from north to south.
The Mzough u Tiv and the Middle Belt Forum, according to Ihagh, have resolved to support the power shift for fairness, justice, and true federalism.
He expressed optimism that the Middle Belt would produce the next president in 2031.
