As the major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are yet to arrive at the gentleman agreement on which zone should produce the President come 2023, the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has kicked against retention of the presidency in the North, saying it will tantamount to breach of the gentleman agreement of power rotation which will be followed with dire consequences of killing the party and dividing the country. 


Ndume who disclosed this to the correspondents chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abuja, recalled that at the onset of the formation of APC and before the presidential primaries of the party, the leaders have agreed in principle on power rotation to the South after being piloted by a northerner for eight years, though there was resistance from Rochas Okorocha who insisted on exercising his constitutional rights of contesting the presidency, and was allowed; but was fully aware that he would lose based on the agreement. According to him, if the agreement is breached, the party may split and by extension the country. He said, "If you want the country to be divided, which Nigeria are you going to be president of? So, for me, I support a candidate from the south, anywhere from the south. If you ask me, I will say each of the three zones in the south should bring one or two candidates and let us go to the convention and whoever emerges will be given the support to win."


In the same vein, he kicked against the agitation of granting amnesty to bandits, kidnappers and Boko Haram. He said, "You can't have people perpetuating criminality and you give them starter parks. Maybe many people will contemplate becoming bandits."