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Since 1960, no tribe has sacrificed more for Nigeria’s unity than the Igbo —Group

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Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The Igbo National Council (INC) on Tuesday warned the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum led by Yerima Shettma, to stop its move against the Igbo presidency.

The INC president, Chilos Godsent, told journalists at a press briefing in Owerri, Imo State, that a comment credited to Shettima on the Igbos’ readiness to rule the country was unfortunate.

He argued that the Arewa youths are bent on misleading Nigerians.

The Igbos, according to him, had sacrificed more for unity of Nigeria than other tribes in the country.

Godsent said the time was ripe for Nigeria to have a president of Igbo extraction.

He said: “The attention of the Igbo National Council (INC) has been drawn to a recent inciting video and press statement credited to Yerima Shettima stating that 2023 is not the right time for Igbo person to be president of Nigeria.

“Yerima Shettima is the purported leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum that some years ago issued quit order to the Igbo people living in the Northern states of Nigeria.

“The same Yerima has in recent time be misinforming ignorant Nigerians that the North has made more sacrifices more than any other tribe in building Nigeria.

“We wish to use this opportunity to set the record straight and properly educate Yerima Shettima and his co-travellers on the wrong part of history, that since the creation of Nigeria no tribe, race or group has made more sacrifices in building Nigeria than the Igbo Race.

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“The Igbo race has invested unquantifiable human and material resources to keep Nigeria alive since its creation even to an extent we lost millions of lives during the genocide of 1966, and till date our mineral resources are been plundered and used to fund the North.”

“Consequently, in the spirit of reconciliation, fairness, justice and equity, the only geopolitical zone more ripe to produce the president of Nigeria is 2023 is the South-East zone.

“We urge Nigerians to ignore the false and misleading video and publications of Yerima Shettima regarding the 2023 presidential elections.

“Finally, we, therefore, call on the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other Northern political leaders to immediately call Yerima Shettima and his co-travellers to order before they throw the country into destructive political crisis ahead 2023 presidential election.”

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