Governors in the North and traditional rulers yesterday rejected the call by Southern governors for a power shift in 2023.

The governors under the aegis of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, and the monarchs after a meeting in Kaduna, said the clamour for power rotation is unconstitutional.

Northern Governors’ Forum Chairman and Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, who read the resolutions, described the call for zoning as a contradiction.

He said: “The Forum observed that some Northern State governors had earlier expressed views for a power shift to three geo-political zones in the South, with a view to promoting unity and peace in the nation.

“Notwithstanding their comments, the Forum unanimously condemns the statement by the Southern Governors’ Forum that the Presidency must go to the South.

“The statement is quite contradictory with the provision of the Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria (1999), as amended, that the elected President shall score majority votes; score at least, 25 per cent of the votes cast in two-third states of the federation. In the case of run-up, simple majority win the election.”

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, led monarchs to the meeting at the Council Chamber of the Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.

The meeting chided Southern governors for creating confusion over the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT).

The call for rotation by the Southern governors and the objection by their Northern counterparts underscores the division over zoning of political offices ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Governors from the South at three meetings in Asaba, Lagos, and Enugu called for the rotation of the Presidential seat to the South in 2023 after President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.

They also resolved that the state and not the Federal government should collect VAT.

The Northern governors, who did not raise an eyebrow over the promulgation of anti-Open Grazing law by Southern states, urged the Federal Government to fast track action on the proposed livestock programme to replace cattle grazing.

In recent past, some governors in the North expressed public support for the rotation of power to the South in 2023, in the spirit of unity and peace.

These include: Katsina State Governor Bello Masari, Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum and Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu said the governors and the emirs have the right to their opinion.

“They have expressed and indeed exercised their rights under Freedom of Expression. No one can stop them from expressing themselves,” he said.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo described the action as fanning the embers of disunity.

Its spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, said the statement is unconscionable, adding that it could destabilize the country.

Ohanaeze said the North would benefit more from a united Nigeria, advising the Northern leaders to desist from creating crisis.

The group reminded the North that former leaders of the country had in conscience, reached an agreement in 1998 to overpower rotation between the North and the South, which had been religiously followed.

It said it would be unjust to discard a rotational presidency.

Ohanaeze added: “The truth is that if there’s any group of people that needs Nigeria’s unity more, it is the North.

“In conscience, an agreement was reached in 1998 overpower rotation between the North and the South. And it has been going on like that from Obasanjo(South) to Yar’adua(North) to Jonathan(South) and now Buhari (North).