The Coalition of Northern Groups has responded to the issues raised by the Southern Governors Forum during their Monday meeting in Lagos.

The coalition accused the southern governors of shielding "felons, arsonists and mass atrocity perpetrators in their midst by challenging the prerogative of the Federal Government to enforce law and order in all parts of the country."

The spokesperson for CNG, ABDUL-AZEEZ SULEIMAN, in a statement said there had been a gang-up against the North in particular, to force a regional shift of the Presidency in 2023 by whatever means and tactics.

According to him, the insistence by the southern governors on the anti-grazing law "aims to selectively imperil the business of cattle rearing and threaten the legitimate presence of pastoral communities in the south.

It says that the desperation of the southern governors to shield the assortment of criminals, incite and carry out attacks, and wanton destruction of lives and property of other citizens and national security assets has exposed the level of their complicity in the operations of the armed terrorist groups in the South.

The northern group added that the governor's resolutions on 2023 exposed a deliberate attempt to impose a contentious system of rotational presidency aimed at achieving dubious political goals to weaken the North.