Lagos — As the search for a credible successor to President Olusegun Obasonjo continues to gather momentum, a group, Christian Alliance, has said Zamfara State Governor, Ahmed Sani Yarima is the most suitable material for the 2007 Presidential elections.

The group said Yarima has the potentials to attract international respect and goodwill for Nigeria.

Making the declaration in an interview with THISDAY in Bauchi, its National Coordinator, Reverend Kennedy Masau, called for the adoption of Yarima as a consensus candidate, adding that the group decided to adopt him after extensive consultations and analysing the antecedents of all aspirants from the North in particular and the nation in general.

While appealing to other presidential aspirants to cede the presidency to Yarima for the sake of unity and stability, he described him as "a detribalised Nigerian who has done much to promote good governance, democracy and regional integration in through diplomacy."

Masau said we particularly endorsed and have been campaigning for him, because he has performed creditably well, especially in the areas of health-care delivery, education, housing, rural and urban transformation, security, ethnic and religious harmony and most importantly, discipline and ethical re-orientation."

He said Yarima's transparency and accountability ihas placed him in a better position to continue President Olusegun Obasanjo's reform process, adding that Yarima's national out look endears him to Nigerians, irrespective of religious and ethno-political backgrounds.

According to him, "we are working in partnership with the Yarima Campaign Organisation (YACO), in our patriotic task of building a virile nation that is a source of pride and strength not only to the African continent, but the whole of the black race.

"With Governor Yarima at the helm of affairs in 2007, we will witness a rejuvenated Nigeria characterised by a vibrant modern economy and socio-political development."

Masau who expressed optimism that Yarima would scale through party primaries, said "what the nation needed most now is generational change to inject fresh ideas and policies into the socio -economic and political life of the Nigerian nation."