Grace Odum
Abuja – Leaders of the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) have issued a communique following their emergency general meeting held on Saturday, demanding that the next President of Nigeria in 2027 must come from the southern region.
According to the leaders of the forum, the zoning arrangement has been an established national democratic culture since 1999, and maintaining the presidency in the South for the next four years is critical for national political stability.
“Political parties now at their Congresses and Conventions are strongly advised to zone and elect their presidential candidates from Southern Nigeria,” the communique stated.
The forum, which brings together Afenifere, the Middle Belt Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and PANDEF, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to demonstrate genuine independence in handling political party affairs and conducting elections. They expressed profound concern over ongoing controversies surrounding certain sections of the Electoral Act, warning that these could undermine electoral integrity and generate avoidable tensions.
Security and State Police
On the state of insecurity, the SMBLF passed a vote of confidence in the Nigerian armed forces but noted with concern that security agencies remain overwhelmed by inadequate personnel relative to the country’s size and population.
According to the leaders of the forum, they observed “with dismay the red-carpet treatment and incentives given to purportedly repentant terrorists by the Nigerian State” under amnesty programmes, while victims of terrorist crimes remain in displacement camps without hope of returning to their homes.
Regarding state and community policing, the forum rejected the Inspector General of Police’s proposal of a 60-month gestation period for institutionalising state police, describing it as an “unnecessarily long” delay that the country cannot afford given the current insecurity challenges.
The leaders also rejected the proposal that 60 percent of federal police personnel be integrated into state police services of their states of origin, calling this “counter-productive and unacceptable.”
According to the leaders of the forum, state police should be a constitutional institution, not one formed by the federal government like its parastatals or state commands of the federal police.
Xenophobia and Restructuring
On xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa, the SMBLF called on the federal government to ensure the protection of Nigerians anywhere in the world and to make arrangements for the evacuation of those seeking to return home. The forum appealed to Nigerian youths against reciprocal attacks on South Africans.
The leaders insisted on the restructuring of the federation to grant federating ethnic nationalities and constituent states greater autonomy in line with true federalism. They also called on the federal government to intensify efforts to tackle Nigerians’ suffering due to the prevailing global economic situation, recommending more focused support for local crude oil refineries and clear programmes to stop the importation of refined products.
The communique was signed by HRH Oba Oladipo Olaitan (Leader of Afenifere and Chairman SMBLF), Dr. Bitrus Pogu (President, Middle Belt Forum), Senator John Azuta-Mbata (Leader, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide), and H.E. Amb. God knows Igali (Chairman, PANDEF).
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