The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Saturday said Nigeria’s next president must be someone considered best for the north, describing President Muhammadu Buhari as a mistake that must never be repeated.

NEF spokesperson, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, disclosed this while speaking with reporters in Kaduna on Saturday.

“No northerner should take us for granted. That’s how we ended up with President Buhari. We don’t want to repeat the same mistake,” Mr Baba-Ahmed said.

“If you must be a Northerner who’s better than all the candidates; for us, that’s the bottom line. It’s not enough to be a northerner, you have to be the best. You have to be the best for the North and you have to be the best for the rest of Nigeria,” the spokesperson added.

Mr Baba-Ahmed added that “We are looking for a Nigerian president. If it comes from the north, fine but he must be voted for by Nigerians and he must be good and he must be better than all the others. That’s what we are looking for.”

Last year, southern governors had in a communique insisted that a president of southern extraction must succeed Mr Buhari in 2023, a move vehemently opposed by governors from the northern region.

At the moment, no northerner has declared interest to contest for president in 2023. However, APC chieftain Bola Tinubu, senator and former Abia governor Orji Kalu and Ebonyi state governor, Dave Umahi, have all declared their interest for presidency in 2023.