Tobias Sylvester
Elder statesman and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Tanko Yakasai has accused the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, of ruining the chances of the South-East to produce the next president of Nigeria in 2023.
Speaking during an interview with Channels TV on Sunday, Yakasai said that he is a supporter of a presidential candidate from the South, but Igbos must not sit back and demand that the next Presidency be zoned to them.
Yakasai further stated that Nnamdi Kanu’s secessionist agitation is making Nigerians doubt if the South-East is really ready to produce a credible candidate that would help Nigeria as a whole.
He said, “The card is on the Southeastern people’s desk. It is up to them to try to reach out. I’m a strong supporter of a President from the South after Buhari and also if he can come from the South-East I have no problem.
“My quarrel is that this is not something you just stay at home and pray that people will just dash it to you; you have to show interest, you have to be serious, you have to try to convince people that you are really up to the task. This is what in my opinion is missing from the South-East.
“There is that desire on their part but they are not exact in their position to manifest that desire to convince people that are rarely serious about it.
“There is this anxiety in Nigeria about the position of the South-East because it is surprising to many people including people like me…
“This Nnamdi Kanu who ordinarily to me would not be a good candidate for the governorship of any of the South-Eastern state is now claiming the attention (and) support of prominent people in the South-East is making people doubt if the South-East is really ready to produce a credible candidate that would help Nigeria as a whole. That doubt is there.”
Meanwhile, the Association of Arewa Community in Igboland has called on Nigerians to support the emergence of an Igbo president in the 2023 General Elections.
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