Ijaw, national leader and convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, has said he is considering supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the South to run for president. Clark was speaking on Tuesday when some members of the APC paid him a courtesy call at his residence in Abuja. Clark said that if he had voted and only APC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were on the ballot, he would have voted for the APC. However, he said that was no longer an option as APC puts two Muslims on its ticket for the 2023 presidential election. APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu on Sunday announced Kashim Shettima, the former governor of Borno, as his running mate. Shettima’s disclosure has sparked several reactions from Nigerians, including Christian groups who have opposed the decision. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the North had also issued a statement criticizing Tinubu’s decision, saying the ruling party “has no respect for our diversity” as a country. Also, some members of the APC have resigned from the party because of the development. Speaking about the APC’s decision and why Nigeria’s next president should come from the south, Clark said power shift is in the interest of fairness. “We’ve seen that to this day, we still believe in the Southern presidency. That’s why some of us said that APC that we never wanted to talk about is the one that listened to us by turning the presidency south,” Clark said. ‘Of course I’m an old man now. I am turning 95 and I am no longer a member of any political party. Perhaps if I vote, and you only propose two parties – that is APC and PDP – I will vote APC for zoning the presidency to the south, heeding our opinion. “But the only thing your party has done that has made me withdraw my support is this Muslim-Muslim ticket.”
