Agitations in Nigeria’s South-East caused by perceived political exclusion — Atiku

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar said on Sunday he would negotiate with Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) agitators if he emerges as the country’s president in 2023.

Abubakar stated this at Channels Television’s town hall meeting in Abuja.

The former Vice President argued that agitations in various parts of the country were mostly due to perceived exclusion from national politics.

He, however, urged the South-East to form an alliance with other regions of the country in order to protect their interests.

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Abubakar said: “Every geopolitical zone has its peculiar challenges. IPOB emerged for the purpose of realizing Biafra. There was a South-East in the first Republic. So we should be able to negotiate with agitators in the region. What they need is autonomy and devolution of powers.

“Agitations are diverse. What is happening in the South-East part of the country has a political dimension which is about their participation in politics, and the perceived exclusion from the nation’s affairs. I think they should begin to think about an alliance with other regions in order to protect their political interests.”

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