Politics
Igbo youths reject Obasanjo’s call for S’East presidency, say it’s mischievous
The recent call by Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the Igbo people to take a shot at the presidential position of the country has drawn anger from youths in the region.
Youths under the aegis of South East Youth Vanguard on Friday criticized Obasanjo and his call, saying it rejected “the suspicious and patronising declaration of support by Chief Obasanjo for a President from the Southeast come 2019.”
The group said it was mischievous and an act of double standard for an Obasanjo, who according to the group, frustrated the emergence of an Igbo president in 2003 to now advise the people to target the post of presidency in 2019.
The group in a statement by its national coordinator, Jason Njoku, added that Chief Obasanjo’s advice could lead to tension, ill-will and confusion in the country. It argued that the advice would have been regarded as a friendly one from a statesman had Obasanjo treated Ndigbo fairly throughout his eight years reign as Nigerian president.
Further accusing Obasanjo of discarding a “gentleman’s understanding of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to do one term of four years” but instead took two terms”, the youths wondered how Obasanjo, who instituted the two-term culture, can be calling on the South East and other zones in the country to get the Presidency at this time “when a northern president is still in his first term”.
Read also: Obasanjo urges Ndigbo to take aim at presidency in 2019
The statement read in part, “While the South East looks forward to a shot at the Presidency, it is mindful of the fact that there is a zoning formula and understanding in place. The zone is ready to wait for the time when the zoning arrangement would inevitably beckon on the South East.
“Therefore, based on the above democratic and patriotic calculations, we of the South East Youth Vanguard, hereby reject the suspicious and patronising declaration of support by Chief Obasanjo for a President from the Southeast come 2019.
“Granted that the state of the nation today clearly makes the 2019 Presidency an important issue, the Southeast, however, would not want to be used as a pawn in former President Obasanjo’s many self-serving political schemes,” the group said.
Earlier, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Movement for the Emancipation of Biafra (MASSOB), had also condemned the call by Obasanjo for Igbo presidency in 2019.
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yanju omotodun
January 28, 2017 at 2:51 pm
Obj is a smart politician and elder stateman. He only said this to make igbos to cease from clamouring for Biafra by seeing themselves as one Nigeria with rights to contest for presidency.
Amaka Okoro
January 29, 2017 at 5:35 am
Obj should allow Igbo’s fight for there right.And not to false them do what they are not surpose to do
yanju omotodun
January 28, 2017 at 3:51 pm
Bu
seyi jelili
January 28, 2017 at 3:59 pm
But are the igbos okay at all? Didn’t obj try for them when he was the president? I remembered all the senate presidents during his time were igbos. So what else do they want?
Amarachi Okoye
January 29, 2017 at 5:30 am
Fuck you.
We are not talking about try hear but obasanjo should leave the Igbo’s part and move to his own part because his a camalon
Roland Uchendu Pele
January 28, 2017 at 4:30 pm
South East Youth Vanguard sounds like another Avengers to me!
Nonso Ezeugo
January 29, 2017 at 5:24 am
Yes because they are not happy
Margret Dickson
January 28, 2017 at 4:41 pm
There no benefit in staying Nigeria. Biafra will pay us all, let’s embrace who we really are and shut down this Nigeria that has been enslaving us for years.
Balarabe musa
January 28, 2017 at 5:54 pm
Eeeyah. Biafra will pay you for real but for real, there won’t be biafra. So the real thing is that you will continue to be enslaved as you said. So if you are for real, then you really need to embrace Obj’s real advice in 2019 for real.
chichi emerue
January 29, 2017 at 5:23 am
Biafra must take place so obasanjo should go to hell with his real advice because we the Igbo’s don’t need it