Northern governors oppose power shift to South

…Say zoning is unconstitutional

Governors of the 19 states in the North are  opposed to  the call by their southern counterparts that the Presidency should be zoned to the South in 2023, according to the resolution the issued at their emergency meeting in Kaduna, Kaduna State.

This position formed part of the resolutions reached on Monday when the governors  at  the meeting with traditional rulers in the region at the Government House in Kaduna State.

Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, who read out the communique containing the resolutions on behalf of his colleagues said  zoning the office of the President as being agitated by southern governors is against the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

They stated that any president elected must meet the constitutional requirements which include scoring the majority votes, and polling at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in two-thirds of the 36 states of the Federation.

Governor Lalong said that  although some northern governors had endorsed power shift to the South, the regional governors collectively condemned such calls even as  he also briefed  journalists  on the position of the governors regarding the lingering dispute between the Federal Government and states over the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT).

 On VAT  the communiue reads : “The Northern State Governors Forum considered the on-going National debate on the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT). As responsible leaders while we are constraint by the fact that the matter is sub judice we however for the purposes of educating the public make the following observations:

(a) the judgement of the Federal high Court calls to question the constitutionality of VAT, withholding tax, education tax, Niger Delta Development Commission, National Information Technology Development Agency, 13% derivation, National Economic Development Council and many other currently levied and collected by the Federal Government of Nigeria, Federal Inlands Revenue Service.

(b) Rivers and Lagos State Government had enacted their own VAT laws and the Southern Governors Forum have expressed support for this course of action;

(c) VAT is being confused by these State Government as a sales tax. If every State enacted its own VAT Law, multiple taxation will result in increases of prices of goods and services and collapsed in interstate trade. VAT is not a production tax like excise, but terminal tax which is paid by the ultimate consumer;

 (d) Another confusion is ignoring observation above and its “overall effect”. The reason Lagos account for our 50% Vat collection is because most of the telecommunication companies, Banks, manufacturing and other trading activities have their headquarters in Lagos with the resultant and wrongful attribution of VAT

(e) Until and unless the Supreme Court pronounces judgement on the substantive matter between Rivers State and Federal Government, the matter is sub judice and Northern States Governors Forum would respect this.”

The northern governors, Lalong said, are aware that the case is before the court, and it will amount to sub-judice to take a decision on the matter.

He, however, explained that VAT should not be mistaken by state governments as a sales tax, saying allowing every state to enact its VAT law would result in multiple taxations, increases in prices of goods and services, as well as a collapse in inter-state trade.

On the security of the region, the northern governors commended the ongoing military onslaught against bandits and insurgents in parts of the North.

Despite the progress made, they decried the alleged high level of conspiracies perpetrated by some judicial officers in releasing and granting bail to arrested criminals.

Earlier, the host, Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai said, they were holding an emergency meeting to discuss the challenges facing the region, the economic situation affecting it, insecurity that has destroyed the rural economy and many other challenges concerning federalism steering the region in the face.

He said it is because of the challenges that the Chairman of the forum conveyed all of them for deliberation and to also tap their collective wisdom to chart a way forward for the 19 northern states.

In his speech, the Chairman, Northern Traditional Leaders Forum, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar said, by the large turn out of participants at the meeting, it is a testimony that both the 19 Northern Governors and Emirs, including the FCT are committed to finding lasting solutions to the issues affecting the region. He assured that all the Northern Traditional Leaders are ever ready to answer the call of their Governors when the need arises to discuss issue bothering the region