‘Igbo must vote for Buhari in 2019 to get 2023 ticket’
Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Afenifere, the apex socio cultural bodies of the Igbo and the Yoruba were yesterday united in chiding politicians from their ethnic zones advocating a second term for President Muhammadu Buhari as the fastest route for the presidency to come to their zones.
The two socio-cultural groups spoke in response to Thursday’s call by Mr. Babatunde Fashola, minister of works, power and housing to the Yoruba to vote Buhari for a second term. He had said at a town hall meeting organized by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture that voting for Buhari would amount to the presidency returning to the Southwest in 2023. His call came against the campaign by many Southeast supporters of the president that a second term for Buhari was the surest and quickest route for the Igbo to become president in 2023. Amidst the rivalry by the Southwest and Southeast for 2023, the secretary general of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr. Anthony Z. Sanni yesterday also gave a warning to the two zones that the North may not be ruled out of 2023. In a coded warning to the two zones, Sanni affirmed that 70 out of the 76 candidates for the 2019 presidential election were southerners! Meanwhile, the 2015 presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party, NCP, Mr. Martin Onovo alerted that Fashola’s call could be his way of positioning himself for the 2023 contest. While some Igbo leaders have said that their support for Buhari’s second term was to ensure a payback from him for an Igbo person to become president in 2023, they have, however, put aside the prospects of APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who publicly withdrew himself from the 2019 contest only because of Buhari’s interest.
The minister of labour, productivity and employment, Senator Chris Ngige who is one of the Igbo leaders canvassing a second term for Buhari reiterated his stance last night, but with the provisio that Igbo must vote overwhelmingly for Buhari in 2019 to be able to negotiate well for the 2023 presidential ticket. Besides Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the ACF, leading political figures from across the country weighed into the debate roused by Fashola yesterday. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on its part said that Fashola’s assertion should be a revelation of what he described as the deceit of the All Progressives Congress, APC on the issue.
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