Group encourages Tinubu to choose Southern Kaduna as El-Rufai's replacement for the ministerial position.

The Southern Kaduna Journalists Forum has made an appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to adhere to the established precedent in Kaduna State, wherein a minister is selected from the southern region if the governor hails from the northern region of the state.

According to a statement released by the Chairman and Secretary of the forum, Ango Bally and Lilian Silas Zubairu, respectively, on Wednesday, a pattern was established between 1999 and 2014. During this period, it was customary for the governor of the state to be elected from the northern region, resulting in the appointment of a minister and Secretary to the State Government from the southern region, and vice versa.

This measure ensured the principles of equity, fairness, and inclusive governance were upheld.

It is worth noting that the ministerial position for Kaduna State remains unfilled as a result of the security reports' rejection of the former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for the role.

The statement posits that since the restoration of democratic governance in 1999, past administrations, both at the state and national levels, have exhibited equitable allocation of appointments between the northern and southern regions of the state.

The forum provided an explanation stating that the current Governor of the state, Senator Uba Sani, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajjudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the State Assembly, and the Secretary to the State Government all hail from the northern region.

It emphasized the importance of ensuring equity, justice, and fairness by allocating the position of the minister to the southern region of the state.

We respectfully urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to carefully consider selecting a successor from Southern Kaduna, in order to uphold principles of equity, fairness, and inclusivity. According to the forum, the potential candidate may be selected based on their competence, regardless of their political party or religious affiliation, from the region of Southern Kaduna.

The forum indicated a strong belief that the selection of a minister from Southern Kaduna will foster better ties between the region's population and the government, thereby aligning their interests with Tinubu's "Renewed Hope Agenda."