The All Progressives Congress (APC) North-South Progressive Youth Stakeholders has appealed to the party’s leadership to respect the bond and alliance between the North and South by working to ensure Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential poll.

Alwan Hassan, the convener of the group, made the appeal at a news conference on Sunday in Abuja, claiming some people are working against the party.

Mr Hassan described them as non-progressive elements within the presidency, noting that their antics did not only rubbish the impacts recorded in the North-South Progressive Alliance, but places it in jeopardy.

“This individuals with their clandestine motives have continued to play with our unity as a country,” he said.

According to Mr Hassan, the cabal are inflicting hardship on Nigerians to pitch Nigerians against the APC regime under President Muhammadu Buhari.

He explained that the country’s politics and development had benefitted from the rich and cordial relationship that existed between the North and South as far back as the pre-independence era.

“Our forebears stood against the colonial masters and, hand-in-hand, made the case for self rule, for independence and for the birth of our great nation — Nigeria. All through the years, successive northern leaders, both military and civilians, have continued to respect the bond between the northern and southern Nigeria,” Mr Hassan said. “Thus paying great respect to the virtues and commitment to the ideals of national unity espoused by great leaders like Uthman Dan Fodio and the great Sir Ahmadu Bello.”

He stressed that recent history particularly throw up an idolised northern political figure and friend of the talakawa who benefitted from this deep relationship with the South after three failed attempts at the ballot,” pointing out that “Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as he then was, wasn’t going to emerge president of Nigeria until the North-South alliance was re-enacted late 2013, with Tinubu and others driving it.”

He added that this same collaboration and alliance with the South saw the emergence of Mr Buhari for a second term as the country’s president in 2019.

“The North is honourable, we honour our alliance and commitments. We honour our agreements, it is the fundamentals of our faith. And we must not allow the selfish interests of a few who are blinded to history, and who are completely unmindful of the future, to destroy what we have been known for,” Mr Hassan stated.

He added, “We have a duty, we have commitment, and we must transit power to the South now, rather than later, we can not scuttle what we have built with hard work and with great sacrifice.”

(NAN)