Supporters of former President Goodluck Jonathan have begun grassroots mobilisation in the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones on behalf of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.Information Guide Nigeria

In November, the group, under the auspices of Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria, endorsed Tinubu.

Francis Wainwei, the national secretary of the coalition, stated in a statement issued following the launch of the grassroots campaign in Port Harcourt, the state capital of Rivers, that they were opposed to the idea of another northerner succeeding Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.) as president after eight years.

Wainwei, whose organisation contributed N1 million to Tinubu’s campaign in the two geopolitical zones, swore to do everything in his power to ensure that the next president will be elected from the South.

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The CNPDN was one of the few coalitions that openly advocated for Jonathan to run for president on the APC ticket early this year.

Jonathan, who had promised to consult widely in the lead-up, reneged at the eleventh hour, allowing Tinubu to secure the party nomination.

Wainwei, a native of Bayelsa State, told reporters on Monday that their supporters had unanimously decided to back Tinubu in the presidential election of 2023.

According to him, the group threw its support behind a southern presidential candidate in order to promote national unity, equity, fairness, and justice.

The statement read, “Our position that the next president of this country should come from the South is driven by same vision and principles. We believe strongly that such will strengthen the unity and peace of the nation. It will give a better sense of belonging to the people of southern Nigeria and foster a more viable peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

“We were surprised by the betrayal of the same cause by some of the southern governors, especially the South-South governors, except Nyesom Wike, who had earlier declared for a southern President, to abandon same and started pursuing their personal interests instead of the collective interest of the region.NYSC portal

“We therefore call on the South-South governors who have betrayed their people by supporting another northern candidate to take over from Buhari after eight years of a president from the North, to resign immediately.

“This is because the people of the South-South zone can no longer trust them with their common heritage as they have placed their personal interests above the collective interest of their people.

“Our call on them to resign is also premised on the fact that they recently received huge sums of money via the 13 per cent derivation fund and squandered same in pursuit of their personal interests at the expense of their people.

“We are also calling on the South-South states’ Houses of Assembly to impeach the said governors if they fail to resign as requested. We shall mobilise our members across the South-South States to force the said governors to resign or get impeached.

“We can’t allow such selfish governors to continue to govern us anymore. We must all place the collective interest of our people above our personal interests for our region to experience holistic and accelerated development.”

“Tinubu is the easiest means to electing a President from southern extraction in 2023. He has nationwide acceptance and has the requisite political experience to navigate Nigeria to greatness as president of Nigeria.”JAMB Result