The leader of pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, says that it is the turn of the Igbo to produce the next President of Nigeria.
He said this on the Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.
According to the 94-year-old elder statesman, it is in the spirit of federal character and equity for the Igbo to produce the next President of the country.
He argued that the South-West produced former President Olusegun Obasanjo who led for eight years and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo who has served for almost eight years.
Adebanjo added that the South-South had also produced the President in the person of Dr Goodluck Jonathan who was in office from 2010 to 2015.
The Afenifere leader said all the while, the South-East had been denied the Presidency.
“How can you say rotation in the North and South, and when it comes to the South, it would be South-West and South-South every time? Is the South-East not part of the South? What is the moral we are talking about?
“Is it not the South-West that has served Obasanjo for eight years, Osinbajo for another eight years as Vice President? South-South has served its own. Is the South-East not part of the South? That is the question we should answer,” he said.
Adebanjo said the federal character concept was introduced to accommodate the North.
He, therefore, wondered why concessions could be made for the South-East which had been marginalised.
The Afenifere leader added, “Is it not to accommodate the North that we put the federal character in the constitution, to accommodate less developed areas?
“It doesn’t help the unity of this country if anybody is talking about merit now. It is because of the heterogeneity of the country to keep us together that the question of this rotation comes in, to accommodate ourselves as much as possible. Why do you want to overlook that now? Coming to the South for the 2023 presidential candidate is the equity, moral, and principle, except we are deceiving ourselves.”
He said that it is time for the South East to produce the country’s next president, questioning those who think the region does not deserve the seat.
Hinging his argument on federal character and equity. He said while the South South and South West have tasted power at the centre, the same cannot be said of the Igbo-dominated South East.
“How can you say rotation in the North and South, so when it comes to the South, it would be South-West and South-South every time? Is the South East not part of the South? What is the moral we are talking about?” he asked during the show.
The elder statesman believes the amendments to the constitution were not people-centred.
According to him, the country adopted federal character to cater for weaker parts of the nation, a move he maintained, has helped to foster unity among Nigerians.
Talking about merit when it comes to the 2023 presidential election would hurt the gains made so far, he said.
“It doesn’t help the unity of this country if anybody is talking about merit now. It is because of the heterogeneity of the country; to keep us together that the question of this rotation comes in; to accommodate ourselves as much as possible,” Adebanjo explained.
“Why do you want to overlook that now? Coming to the South for the 2023 presidential candidate is the equity, moral, and principle, except we are deceiving ourselves.”
The Afenifere leader also faulted the just-concluded constitutional amendment by the National Assembly, describing it as insincere.
“There is no sincerity in the amendment,” he said a day after lawmakers voted on over 60 proposed amendments.
As far as he is concerned, the amendments did not carry the people along and thus were not a reflection of the true yearnings of Nigerians.
“Who are those making the amendment? Those are the beneficiaries of fraud in the Constitution,” he said. “How are you amending a Constitution you didn’t take part in. Did we make it? What is our input? A Constitution that tells lies about itself.”
The Punch/ Cnannels TV
