The apex socio-cultural Igbo body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) declared yesterday that Igbo presidency in 2023 will arrest separatist agitation in the South East.
This comes as apex South South regional body, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) said they are not opposed to Igbo presidency in 2023 as long as power shifts to the South.
National president, Ohaneze Youth Worldwide, Mazi Damian Okafor yesterday said Igbo Presidency will stop separatist agitation in the region and restore a lasting peace.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP in Abakaliki, Mazi Okafor who noted that President Olusegun Obasanjo presidency ended the Oduduwa agitation in the South West, stated that the late President Umaru Musa Ya’radua administration was intended end the Boko Haram agitation.
He added that the Igbos should be treated in the same manner, because they are part and parcel of the Nigerian project and should be treated fairly just like other zones of the country.
“It is my belief that should the Igbos be given the opportunity to rule the country, the agitation for seccession will end.
“Igbos should be treated in like manner the way other regions were treated. We deserve the position of the president and it will be fair and bring to an end the agitation. Let us get what others have gotten. We have played out role in the development of the country and it is fair enough to give the Igbos the Presidential slot of the country,” he said.
On its part, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) backed Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo call for an Igbo man to be Nigeria’s President in 2023, stating that such will stop separatist agitations and make the concept of one-Nigeria real.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP last night, the national president of MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu said they have always held the view that separatist agitations are as a result of imbalances in the system.
“We’ve always held the view that a lot of these agitations or separatist agitations are as a result of inequity in the way Nigeria is structured. That is why we hold the view that restructuring is a must for us to have a country that will move forward.
“What Ohanaeze is saying is in line with restructuring. A people in this country of that size and magnitude in terms of population, spread and contribution should not be sidelined for any reason,” Pogu said of the Igbo presidency.
Speaking further, Pogu said if Nigeria allows everybody to partake in governance the way they should, there will be a better country.
“I believe strongly that all these agitations for separation will stop not only in the South East but in other areas.
“You see, inequity has been created because of selfishness over the years. The military centralised things at the centre. We have the federating units without the powers they are supposed to have. If we are to practice true federalism, it will ease a lot of tension and there will be peace,” Pogu said.
The MBF chairman who said the Nigerian system requires rejigging, added that some areas are favoured in terms of constituencies and therefore operate as lords over others. He attributed the imbalances to the military regime.
“These created imbalances in the system,” Pogu said adding, “If the South East are given the opportunity, they have competent people who can govern this country.”
He continued, “They have been so much in entrepreneurship and they can manage the economy and other aspects. We need peace, we want a united Nigeria and not a divided Nigeria. Their demand will give us one Nigeria. It’s a genuine proposal, let’s give it to them.”
Speaking with LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt yesterday, PANDEF national publicity secretary, Ken Robinson, said the group was not interested in any part of the South that produces the next President as long as power shift to the region.
Robinson said “Our position is that the Presidency should come to the South. Whether it comes from the South-East, South-South or South-West, the issue is that it is in the South.
“We are not emphasising that it should be Igbo President or South-West President or South-South President. That is the position of PANDEF. We agree that the Igbos have not been President of Nigeria since independence.
“Then some elements in the South-South are saying that we didn’t complete our tenure, and those sentiments cannot be ignored or downplayed. We cannot ignore those elements from the South-South. So, the PANDEF position is that power should shift to the South,” he said.
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