Elder statesman and Senior
Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Robert Clarke has said that the South West
region is already well positioned to produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s
successor in 2023.
He noted that since 1999,
presidential power goes to any region where two of the three major tribes of
Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa/Fulani decided to take it to after forming an alliance.
Against that backdrop, Clarke
posited that with the current collaboration between the Southwest and President
Muhammadu Buhari, presidential power was certain to shift to Yorubaland in
2023.
He said it was unfortunate for
the Igbos that they have never had a partnership with either the Hausa or the
Yoruba in any election since 2011.
Speaking in an interview with Sun
Newspaper, the elder statesman said, “The problem in Nigeria is that the
politician has created for themselves a situation where if two of them gather
against the third one, they will want political power to be rotating among
themselves.
“There are three major tribes.
The Igbo, Yoruba and the Hausa. Where two of these major tribes gang up, that
is where the power is going.
“In 1999, when the constitution
came in, Obasanjo wasn’t sponsored by the Yoruba, even though he was a Yoruba
man; the Yoruba rejected him, and sponsored Falae. But the Northerners and the
Igbo voted for him; the Yoruba never voted for him and he still won because the
Northern Hausa and the Eastern Igbo decided to support him.
“In 2003, Obasanjo came for the
second term; again, he was not sponsored by the Yoruba; the Yoruba put up
another candidate but still he won.
“In 2007, Yar’Adua was not
supported by the Yoruba but the Igbo supported the Northerners and he won.
“In 2011, Jonathan came in, he’s
not a Northerner but he was supported by the North and the Igbo, and he won.
Having realised that power is between two of these sects, the Yoruba and the
Hausa merged in 2015 and they produced Buhari.
“In 2023, if the Igbo don’t find
themselves holding onto the Yoruba as a friend or the Hausa as a friend and
allow the Hausa and the Yoruba to hold themselves together as in 2015, then
that ticket will produce the president. That means the Yoruba will produce the
president, the Northerners will produce the vice president because that is the
reality of the number. Politics is in number.
“Since the demise of Zik, the
Igbo had never had a leader and that is the fault of the Igbo race today. If
tomorrow, the Igbo bring out a young vibrant Igbo leader who can now find his
way either to go with the Northern Hausa and form alliance or the Yoruba and
form alliance, then the hope of an Igbo president in Nigeria will come up.
“But I as Robert Clarke seeing
the terrain of politics in Nigerians do not see any hope for an Igbo presidency
except they change their attitude in aligning themselves with one of the two
tribes. I’m looking at Nigeria consisting of three ethnic groups; between two
of these three groups, there the power lies. So, if the Igbo can fix themselves
in any of the two alliances, then there’s hope for them.”
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