2023 Presidency: Don’t Accept Vice President Positions, Clark Tells Southern Politicians

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Friday, May 6th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Elder statesman and the Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark has enjoined southern politicians not to accept running mate positions from any northern candidate since the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has refused to zone the presidency to the south.

Clark made this known on Friday in Abuja as he interacted with some journalists, adding that any southern politician that accepts such a position would be seen as unpatriotic.

His words: “We strongly warn our politicians, former governors, ministers, senators and so forth not to accept a running mate position from any northern candidate because they cannot do without us and we cannot do without them.

“That will show how serious we are and anybody who offers himself as a running mate will be regarded as the most unpatriotic and a man who has sold his own side of the country and not worthy of being respected and honoured.”

Clark also kicked against the growing number of presidential aspirants from the southern part of the country describing it as madness and unrealistic. He also stated that many of the aspirants from the south who have declared their presidential interest to contest for president in 2023 are playing double games.

The elder statesman was also surprised that aspirants from the ruling APC were getting N100 million to pay for the forms despite the level of hunger in the country.

He stated: “It is madness. if I’m to be realistic they are not serious; particularly the southerners from the South-West and the South-South. There are some people that have gone to be bottle bags to play double games. So when it comes to where we say no, some people would come out to say yes we are contesting. So they know why some of them are there.

“You have everybody in Nigeria where there is hunger, where there is lack of employment, where there is kidnapping going on every day, where children cannot go to school, where the economy is going down, these people were able to mobilize N100 million to pick form.”