Ohanaeze Youth Council warns Tinubu that his ambition will sow discord between Igbos and Yorubas

FORMER Lagos State governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has been accused by the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) of sowing the seeds of discord between Nigeria's Igbos and Yorubas  with his misguided presidential ambition.

Although not constitutional, Nigeria's component parts have a gentleman's agreement that the presidency will rotate between the north and the south of the country. President Muhammadu Buhari's tenure will end in 2023 and being a Fulani northern Muslim, it is expected that the next president will come from southern Nigeria.

Since the return to democracy in 1999, the southwest has produced President Olusegun Obasanjo and the south-south President Goodluck Jonathan, so come 2023, the presidency should automatically go to the southeast. However, Asiwaju Tinubu from the southwest has already launched his presidential campaign and is seeking the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for next year's polls.

OYC national president, Comrade Igboayaka Igboayaka, stated that the political differences between Zik and Awolowo were corrected in 1999 when southeast presidential aspirants Dr Alex Ekwueme and Dr Ogbonnaya Onu made heavy sacrifices for the ill-treatment of the Yorubas in 1993. He added that they stood down for President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae in 1999 to make up for the annulment of Chief MKO Abiola's victory n 1993.

Comrade Igboayaka said: “We can’t allow a grandfather like Bola Tinubu to plant the seed of hatred, discord political inequality among the new generation of Ndigbo and Yoruba. It’s obvious that Bola Tinubu’s presidential project if allowed will put a perpetual discord among the southeast and southwest region, therefore our peaceful coexistence among the two regions is more vital and everlasting than Bola Tinubu’s political interest.

“It’s illogical and unreasonable to allow a grandfather after he must have left the earth, what he planted would continue to grow hate, crises and keep hurting Ndigbo and Yorubas. Bola Tinubu’s presidential project is a historical error we must avoid, his presidential ambition will bring negative remote effect to the present and future generations of Ndigbo and Yorubas.

 “Bola Tinubu ought to without delay become a political hero and father, whose name will not be erased from the political history of Nigeria if he reasonably quits his presidential ambition and supports one presidential aspirant from the southeast in the APC. The southwest between 1999 to 2023 served as the president of Nigeria for eight years and subsequently vice president for another eight years making it a total of 16 years of presidency.

"It’s therefore, morally evil for Bola Tinubu to consider himself qualified to run for the 2023 presidency. At this time Senator Bola Tinubu has the opportunity to become a hero or a villain. If he still chooses to run, he is making himself a villain before the present and new generation of Igbos and Yorubas.”