Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Worldwide, on Friday, said it won’t support the presidential ambition of Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo and All Progressives Congress National Leader, Bola
Tinubu.
Ohanaeze National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia,
who stated this in an interview with The PUNCH, emphasised that it was the turn
of the South-East to produce Nigeria’s next President and not the South-West.
He added that separatist agitations would increase in the
South-East if the zone does not produce the next President.
Ogbonnia urged both Osinbajo and Tinubu to drop their 2023
ambition and back a competent aspirant from the South-East to emerge the next
President of the country after the eight-year regime of the incumbent, Major
General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on May 29, 2023.
With less than a year to the next general elections, the
politics of zoning has dominated public discourse with prominent Southern
elements and political parties demanding power shift to the Southern region
after Buhari who is from Katsina in Nigeria’s bandit-ridden North-West.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State between 1999 and
2007, had in January 2022, declared his intention to fulfill his “lifelong
ambition” of becoming a President in 2023 while Osinbajo had last week said he
would want to succeed his principal (Buhari) to complete what they both started
together.
Both politicians belong to the ruling All Progressives
Congress and were former political associates as Osinbajo had served as
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under Tinubu for eight years from
1999 to 2007. Tinubu had also reportedly nominated Osinbajo as Buhari’s running
mate in the runup to the 2015 election to avoid a Muslim-Muslim presidential
ticket.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Friday, however, Ohanaeze said it
was not the turn of the South-West to produce the next President but the
South-East, adding that both the South-West and the South-South had produced
Presidents and Vice-Presidents since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in
1999.
Ohanaeze’s spokesman, Ogbonnia, said, “I had written an open
letter to Tinubu before which I’m sure he must have read reminding him that at
a point he had been the conscience of the nation with his truthful disposition.
But in recent times, because of his ambition, he has chosen not to talk even
when things are so bad.
“In the past, Tinubu would talk about equity, justice and
fairness but in recent times, Tinubu has chosen to become an entirely different
person. I advised him that he should not contest. He should rather stand as an
elder statesman in Nigeria. Above all, there is a zoning and rotation principle
in Nigeria and it is the turn of the South-East.
“Then on the side of Osinbajo, he has a very tall
credential, having occupied the position of the Vice-President, he is supposed
to be an elder statesman. His profile is at variance with the decision he has
taken to contest for the presidential slot because he knows that it is not the
turn of the South-West. He has shown he has the interest of himself more than
the interest of the nation.”
When asked whether Ohanaeze would support Tinubu, Osinbajo
or any aspirant from the South-West, Ogbonnia said, “No way.”
He noted that elder statesmen like ex-President Olusegun
Obasanjo; Afenifere leader, Ayo Adebanjo, amongst others have been clear that
the South-East should produce the next President in the spirit of fairness and
equity.
“People like Obasanjo, Bode George and Adebanjo have been
clear about it. These are exemplary men and we are asking for more men to
support a South-East Presidency,” he added.
Continuing, the spokesman for the South-East group said
separatist agitations might increase in the zone if it does not produce the
next President.
“What Ohanaeze is saying is that if this Presidency does not
come to the South-East, definitely, there would be more restiveness and
separatist agitations in the South-East; it would increase insecurity and it is
not in the interest of anybody who loves the interest of this country.
“It is the stand of Ohanaeze that Osinbajo and Tinubu should
add voice to the Presidency coming to the South-East and not begin to pursue
personal interest,” he added.
So far, Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirants from
the South-East include ex-Anambra governor, Peter Obi; former Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; former President of Pharmaceutical
Society of Nigeria, Sam Ohuabunwa; and Chairman, Igbo World Assembly, Nwachukwu
Anakwenze.
South-East politicians who have expressed interest in the
top job on APC platform also include Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi;
ex-Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha; as well as former Governor of Abia
State and Majority Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Kalu.
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