Tobias Sylvester
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has warned that the people of the South-East cannot get the Presidential seat in Nigeria by threatening others with secession.
El-Rugai stated this during a webinar organised by the Africa Leadership Group tagged: “Developing a Viable Nation 2” which was hosted by Pastor of Trinity House church Ituah Ighodalo.
According to him, Igbos can’t get the presidency by “threats or by shouting victimhood” because politics has to do with negotiations and convincing others why they should vote for you.
He therefore called on the Igbos to stop threatening secession and engage other parts of Nigeria do that they can succeed the current President.
“I don’t think anyone has stopped the South-East from going for the presidency. But you see, you cannot get the Presidency of Nigeria by threats or by shouting victimhood.
“This is a political process and you have to engage other parts of Nigeria to convince them to support you. That is what everyone does. That is what Jonathan did in 2011; that is what Buhari did in 2015 and 2019. That is what every President does.
“You don’t stay in your corner, abuse everyone in Nigeria and say give me Presidency. It is not going to happen.
“Presidency is not by allocation. It is the result of a political process. You join a political party, your party negotiates with other parts of the country, and it happens. That is how it is done. And you cannot get it by sitting down or threatening secession. It won’t work.
“I think the South-East is going about it the wrong way because if you look at the APC (All Progressives Congress) for instance, we do not have many footprints in the South-East,” he added.
KanyiDaily recalls that Doyin Okupe had said Igbo presidency can only be possible if northerners forgive the Igbos for the killing of Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, by Nigerian soldiers of Igbo extraction in the 1966 coup.
