Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, on Friday, rejected the presidential ambition of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu.
The stand of the group was made known by the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, in an interview with newsmen.
According to the group, 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 tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29, 2023.
In his words, “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.”
