 Governors of Nigeria's southern region want the next president of the country to come from the south. The governors were in Lagos today for their second meeting this year. And they took that decision, among others. Plus TV Africa's Jacinta Albuco was there. Lagos said governor Babaji desangulu and his deputy Femi Hamzad were welcoming each of the southern governors to their second meeting in as many months. They are here to assess the decision taken during their meeting of May 11 when they announced a ban on open grazing and disclosed their stand on restructuring a state policing. Governors go into closed door talks, which lasts about five hours. At the end, the chairman of the forum and governor of understate Rotimi Akiridulu reads the communique. The forum reiterates its commitment to the policies of equity, fairness and unanimously agreed that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between southern and northern Nigeria and resolve that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the south. The southern governor's forum rejects the removal of electronic transmission of electronic results from the electoral act and rejects the confirmation of exclusive jurisdiction in pre-electoral matters on the federal high cost. The governors reemphasized the need for state policing after reviewing the security situation in Nigeria. The forum resolved that if the security institutions need to undertake an operation in any state, the state security officer must be fully informed. The issue of open grazing and the petroleum industry bill are also mentioned. Forum set the timeline of Wednesday the 4th of September 2021 for the promulgation of the anti-grazing law in all its member states. Anti-open, sorry, anti-open-grazing law. 11 of the 17 southern governors were present for the meeting, four were represented by their deputies, while the governors of Anambra and Cross River states were absent. Jacinta Ubukufoplos TV Africa. Well, we're being joined by Public Affairs Analyst Ladikbott Johnson to speak more on the outcome of this meeting. First, the most important thing that the governors are emphasizing on is resational presidency and they're insisting that the presidency be rotated to the south. What are your thoughts on this? Well, good evening. Thanks for having me. Well, that's basically the politics of the moment. After eight years, a lot of the people in the south, a lot of the southern politicians, especially the governors feel that the presidency should rotate to the south. Now, whether it's to the southeast or to the southwest or to the south-south, who knows. But there again, they will have to, it's a good thing that they've said it holds no force of law. They will have to battle it out within their parties. But it is a good thing that they've said that and the north will take notice of that. Interestingly, you have mentioned that you do not know which part of the south he would go to and that they'll have to battle it out in their different political parties. But most of these political parties have not in any way said that they are interested in zoning, especially the PDP. I remember speaking to the publicity secretary and he insisted that every part has to be thrown into the ring. So whether they battle it out or not, it looks like certain parties have already positioned themselves for an open battle, not necessarily that it has to go to the south. Well, exactly. Both major parties want to win. So they wouldn't want to limit their options at this stage by saying that they believe that it should rotate to the southern part of the country. It will depend on what happens with, you know that the national conventions are coming up. So it will depend on what happens at the national conventions. And by the time you see the national chairmanship of the party being decided and what have you, then you begin to get a feel of what the majority of the parties thinking about the presidential ticket of the party. Let's move on to the issue of open grazing. It's a stand that the southern governors had taken the first time they had a meeting and they're re-emphasizing it. What are your thoughts on it? Because it seems to be a thorny issue, especially that now the northern governors make it look like it's the south versus the north. Do you see this going away anytime soon? Especially when the president and the Attorney General have also, you know, opposed the issue and called it political? Well, yes. It has to be political at this time. No one shouldn't shy away from it because of what comes with it, the insecurity in the land and all the arguments we've had in the past. No one says that any Nigerian cannot leave anywhere. Grazing, cattle raring is a private business at the end of the day. Now, if for some reason the governors feel that open grazing leads to insecurity, causes danger in certain areas and what have you, then they have a right to approach the state's houses of assembly to say, please promote a law stating that you cannot have open grazing. If you want to graze or if you want to rear cattle by a piece of land, you understand. And I keep saying it that the federal government, if it feels that it is such an important aspect of the economy, can get involved by helping out with purchase of land, purchase of things. No one is saying don't buy land. They're willing to sell land to you. Yes, but you cannot just graze and graze on it and then come on the corridor road and then go off. Let me just push you quickly because we don't have time. Recently the federal government, in fact, the presidency has pushed on the review of the Land Use Act of 1970. Yes. If the government is pushing for this, I've been made to understand that it has to go through a process. But what do you think that that move is going to end? Well, unfortunately, it would seem, you'd see from everything that we heard from the governors today, you'll see that there's a disconnect between the governors and their members in the National Assembly. If there were no disconnects, then I'd say that the issue of the Land Use Act, I mean, the federal government will find it difficult to amend it in such a way that it would make it easier to control, graze in within states and what have you. So that is what the governors must work on. You understand. They must call their various caucuses in the National Assembly and say, look, the people in this state, the people in the south want this. They no longer want this and push them to do what they want them to do. That is not happening at the moment. And even from the last meeting they had, they didn't follow up with any such meeting with members of the National Assembly. So it shows you that they need to get serious. Finally, the Petroleum Industry Bill is a big issue again. And states like Riverside also, all of those states have major interest and they keep pushing and speaking on it. Why do you think that that's going also because before now there was an issue of the 20% for host communities and many people thought that Timmy Prey Silver was not doing justice to the host community and there was a review again. What change is that bill going to bring for the old petition communities? Well, I think there's still, they need to harmonize between the Senate and the House of Representatives. But whichever way you look at it, it's a step in the right direction for those who are clamoring for true federalism and economic federalism. It's the host communities deserve to get more. That is what a lot of people are saying about restructuring. But I keep saying we have to define what restructuring is and then we'll get there. But it's a step in the right direction. And we hope that the President signs it into law when it's finally finished at the National Assembly. Well, Ladik Bajansan is a public affairs analyst. Thank you very much for speaking with us. Thank you very much. All right.