A group of Northerners who converged at the Arewa House in Kaduna on Friday, have threatened to withdraw support for the government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) unless the North is given the leadership of the National Assembly and other ministerial appointments.

The Northerners attended a one day round table on Nation Building and Democracy with the theme,’ The imperative of participation,equity and equitable development of Northern Nigeria ‘ , powered by the Democratic Research Institute (DRI).

“In the communique signed by Chairman of the Communique Committee, Professor Tukur Muhammad- Baba, and Secretary, Dr.Benjamin Izra Dikki, the Northerners emphasized that because the North is not in control of both the Executive and the Judiciary arms of government, their demand is non-negotiable..”

“In a calculation that was made in the communique that showed the percentage of votes across the 6 geo- political zones, the Northwest zone gave a total vote of 2,652235,the North Central 1,742,993 while the North East gave 1,185,458. The total contributions of the North was 63.5%.”

The communique indicated that the South-west gave 25.7%, the South-south 9.10 while the South-east delivered 1.45% of the votes for the ruling APC.

The communique also reads:

“Based on the contributions of the North in the just concluded General Elections, as evidenced in the table above, the round table, which drew participants from all the nineteen Northern states, concluded that the progress, transformation and development of the region are hinged on its stake in government, particularly access to political, economic incentives and opportunities and therefore resolves as follows:”

“Demand the leadership of the National Assembly in consonance with the provisions of section 14 and sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. This is necessary because the North is not in control of both the Executive and the Judiciary arms of government. This demand is non negotiable.”

“The North also demands fair share of ministerial and other appointments. Such appointments should take cognisance of competence, integrity and track record, otherwise, the region is left with no option than to de-invest its support for the government and the party in subsequent elections.”

Earlier in a welcome address delivered by Prof.Al-Mustapha Ussiju Medanar, he said the central objective of the Roundtable discussion was to highlight and deepen the conversations around the roles and the place of the Northern region in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and fostering nation-building through key players and partners of the region, among others.

He said: “For me, it is a privilege to be a participant of this preparation for an all-inclusive recognition of the place of northern Nigeria in the Nigeria calculations and the veritable focus on the equitable development of northern Nigeria.”

“The theme of today’s discussion, “Nation Building and Democracy: The Imperative of Participation, Equity and Equitable Development of Northern Nigeria” is key to addressing the socio-political challenges that face the contiguous northern region of Nigeria.”

“The central objective of this Roundtable discussion is to highlight and deepen the conversations around the roles and the place of the Northern region in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and fostering nation-building through key players and partners of the region, among others. “