A faction of the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has warned that a Northern presidency in 2023 will further fuel the declarations for Oduduwa and Biafra nations.
A statement issued by Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the secretary-general of the group, said the Northern governors are being selfish with their clamour for Northern Presidency in 2023.
The statement reads: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide maintains that attempts to jettison the rotational presidency in 2023, and the North insisting to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari will be unfavourable and weakens the unity and stability in the country as it will favour the declarations of Oduduwa and Biafra nations by 2024.
”Northern Governors’ miscalculation on 2023 and meandering on blind excitements of opposing the position of southern Governors’ standpoints has put the Northern Governors as exponents of Nigeria’s breakup.
“If another Northerner succeeds President Buhari in 2023, he/she might not be able to superintend over the affairs of the country as Nigeria might face brutal challenges from secessionist groups with full backing from ethnic groups as a result of a revolt against the injustice in the South and excesses of the North.
“Ndigbo may join with IPOB, to declare for Biafra restoration in the event of any conspiracy against the 2023 Igbo Presidency.
“Northern Governors should apologise to Nigerians for these subversive and provocative responses to 2023 Southern Presidency or face the consequences of being unable to read the mood of the nation which favours a southern presidency from the Igbo bloc.”
The new wave of reactions came in response to the resolution of governors of the 19 Northern states over the rotational presidency and VAT.
The northern governors rejected the position of their Southern colleagues that the 2023 presidency should be zoned to the Southern part of the country, arguing that the presidency is a democratic office and not a rotational position.
The Southern governors had in a meeting in July in Lagos State demanded that power must shift to their region.
However, arising from an emergency meeting with Northern traditional rulers at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, on Monday, the Northern Governors Forum said the region could not be compelled to give up a democratically elected office that could be sought by any person irrespective of where he comes from.
The forum added that though some Northern governors had earlier expressed views for a power-shift to three geo-political zones in the South, with a view to promoting unity and peace in the nation, the statement by the Southern Governors Forum that the Presidency must go to the South is unacceptable.
