A coalition within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest, APC South West, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to allow an aspirant from Southwest succeeds him next year.

According to the coalition, there’s an unwritten agreement with Southwest leaders prior to his election in 2015.

A statement by the group’s National Convener , Mr. Fatai Bola Adekunle in Lagos, stated that Buhari was morally bound to ensure that a member from the Southwest succeeds him next year.

Adekunle maintained that anything short of the demand would amount to a betrayal.

“We are appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to reciprocate the gesture of the people of the Southwest towards him in 2015 by making sure that one of our sons succeed him next year.

“All of us are living witnesses to the roles played by our sons and daughters to the emergence of Buhari as the president . It is no gain saying the fact that without that alliance between the Southwest and the North, the Buhari presidency that we have today would not have been possible.

“The political watershed occurred at a time that President Buhari himself had lost hope of becoming the President”.

The group urged the president to call his men who are clandestinely working against Southwest candidates to order.

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He added that some elements within the party and government quarters are working hard to deny the region the opportunity to produce Buhari’s successor, saying such would amount to a grave betrayal of the Yoruba people.

“We are aware that some people within the APC and corridor of power are working very hard and clandestinely against leading Southwest aspirants. This to us will amount to betrayal which our people frown seriously against. We have had people who betrayed us in the past and we are aware of what we did to traitors in our land,” the group said.

It cautioned the leaders on the rumour attempt of breaching the nation’s and party’s constitution to foist former President Goodluck Jonathan as candidate on the party.

He stated that it would be difficult for members to campaign for a candidate that they vigorously worked against in 2015, adding that “Nigerians would see us as unserious and unstable.”

Describing Jonathan as an outsider in the ruling APC, Adekunle stated that while not denying the Bayelsa-born politician his right to exercise his legal right to aspire to any office of his choice and fancy, it would be morally wrong for the party to contemplate fielding him as its flag bearer next year.

“Ordinarily, no one will begrudge anyone who desires to exercise his divine and constitutionally given rights to aspire to any political office of his or her choice but actions they say generate reactions and this is what the (Jonathan’s) rumoured bid has generated.

The group accused elements within the APC for rooting for Jonathan’s saying, “Jonathan was so vilified and hounded during the 2014/2015 period of electioneering by us as the then opposition now ruling party.

“The moral burden now is what will APC tell Nigerians that the product that we described as bad and injurious to the nation has now suddenly become a ‘good one. Nigerians are no fools.”

The coalition also accused the management of the party as been insensitive to the feelings of loyal and patriotic members who would now be deprived of the opportunity to reap the benefits of the membership by vying for a political office but which privilege is now being given to an outsider on a platter of gold..