Yoruba Group Insists on Igbo Presidency

By Uche Mbah

Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, a socio-political group in the South-west  region has thrown its weight behind the quest by the South-east to produce the Igbo President  in  2023 despite the Yoruba being in the same race.

On January 11, Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos state, declared his intention to contest the Presidency after a closed door meeting with President Buhari.

In a statement signed by its President, Mr. Akin Malaolu, Tuesday, the group vowed never to support any other Presidential   aspirant apart from one from  the South-east east.

According to them, Tinubu’s ambition is trouble-shooting.

Entitled “Tinubu’s Presidential Ambition is a Trouble-making Adventure”, the statement read in part: “It is no longer a speculation that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is interested in becoming the next president of Nigeria come 2023. It is within his right as a Nigerian to go for it. But for the purpose of further clarity, we see the move to visit the President as a trouble-making mis-step purposely to create an impact that may unbalance the present drivers of the party, the Progressive Governor’s Forum and enlarge the fault lines already visible and to midwife a division within.

“This attitude is uncalled for, particularly from any democrat that is worthy of being a member of an association and at a time the Nation is looking for peace.

“Moreover,  It is important for us to set the record straight, that the presidential interest from any tribe other than from the IGBOS may take the nation into a deeper political trouble that may set the nation ablaze if care is not taking.

“Those who see Alhaji Abubakar Atiku’s and Tinubu’s interest as their “Right” obviously also believed that Igbo interest is a “Hope” and we can from this stage imagine what calamity we have created for 250million of lives and families and how quickly we have destroyed the bridges made by southern Governors for our common struggle and to the understanding of our people in the North and South that oneness amongst ourselves and within our diversity is more important than the interest of political brigands and their fair weather helpers.

“As leaders of thought in the Southwest, we have taken inventory of conditions in our diversity and our findings convinced us that the fate of our vast people and ethnic nationalities across Nigeria can only be made well, if we rotate the office of the president amongst ourselves and in a uniform fashion. It is very important for leaders both in the South and North to put some sort of order in their feelings and form a new basis for their future actions to avoid taken 250 million of our people into  near war scenarios.

“We have looked in astonishment on all of our political and religious decisions so far, and  as leaders and fathers, with a mixture of pride and apprehension, watch leaders achieve a scandalous and applauded fame in political tricks.

“We therefore plead with leaders mostly in the south not to play the “Traitor Role”.

“We have taken a position to support IGBO presidency come 2023, the declaration we have also made and we are not going to take it back.

“On Igbo presidency we still stand.”

Igbo who have declared their Presidential ambition are Anyim Pius Anyim, former Senate President, and Chief Sam Ohuabunwa.

While Anyim is from Ebonyi State, Ohuabunwa is from Abia State.