Raphael Ede

A Second Republic politician and former governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party in Anambra State, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, has voiced his support for Mamman Daura’s suggestion for Nigeria’s president to be elected based on competence rather than on rotation.

An influential nephew of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), Daura had said in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday that the most qualified Nigerian, irrespective of their zone, should succeed his uncle in 2023. However, his comments drew criticisms from Nigerians, who believed it was time for the next president to emerge from another zone other than the North.

But Okonkwo, who is the Executive Director, MOVERS Nigeria, a pressure group championing transparency and accountability in government, in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, said he supported Daura’s position.

Okonkwo added that he backed the removal of the quota system, adding that local governments should be removed as the basis for going to the National Assembly. He said, “I am in support of Daura’s suggestion. The only thing he did not add, which, I will add, is that we must also remove the quota system so that the federal character remains but there will be no quota anymore.

“Then, the finality is that we will now have to restructure power distribution in Nigeria. First, the number of states in the North and in the South must be balanced.” Punch

Picture: Mamman Daura