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 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, Muhammadu Buhari , on May 29, 2023.
Ohanaeze argued that 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.”
On 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.
