A Yoruba sociopolitical organization, Afenifere, on Monday insisted on Igbo presidency in 2023 for the sake of equity, justice, and fairness.
Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, made this claim during the Greater Nigeria Conference in Abuja, which was organized by leaders and allies of the South East Geopolitical Zone under the subject “Together We Can.”
He said if the political elite and retired military generals could give the Yoruba the presidency in 1999, the same approach might be used to give the Igbo micro-zone authority.
He also called the Yoruba presidential campaign “awkward.”
According to him, presidential aspirants from the South-South, such as Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Chibuike Ameachi and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, would give the north an unfair advantage over the south.
Adebanjo explained, “I only like to point to the fact that they are just deceiving you. All that you are hearing that they (the north) are supporting the South-West is an element of deceit to deprive you, to be able to rule you. They don’t like anybody!
“I told Bola (Tinubu) himself, not in the papers, face-to-face, ‘You believe this man (Buhari) will make you president?’ He said yes. I said, ‘he wanted to make you president, he asked (Yemi) Osinbajo to contest? He asked (Kayode) Fayemi to contest, he asked Amosun (Ibikunle) to contest? All in the South-West, why? He wanted to divide the Yoruba first.
“The unfortunate thing is that President Goodluck Jonathan allowed himself to be disgraced by mentioning the fact that he was considering whether to be president, for what?”
Also, the President of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Middle Belt Forum have backed South East for the 2023 presidency.
Speaking at the event, PANDEF President, Edwin Clark said, “The people of the South East deserve the presidency of this country and they have my support. Let us do what is right. Let everybody support a president of the South East extraction. Let us give them a chance.”
In his remarks, the President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Pogu Bitrus, said, “The South East will produce a president that will be sworn in on May 29, 2023. All of us are here for that singular reason. If we are not in support of this, we wouldn’t have been here.”
