Ndigbo not keen on 2023 presidency, says leaders

Igbo leaders, under aegis of Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze, yesterday, declared that Nd’Igbo were not interested in producing the president of Igbo extraction for the country in 2023.

Rather, the group said what mattered to the people was the restructuring of the country for the enthronement of good governance, stressing that the rancour over leadership would be subdued when an effective system is put in place.

Apparently responding to a recent statement credited to the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, that Igbo need to vote President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 to enhance their turn in 2023, the leaders said allocating power to any section of the country would amount to nothing with the present constitution in place.

“What is the need asking for power in a disintegrated and disunited country being foisted on us with the present system? What we are asking for and interested in is the restructuring of the country to usher in true federalism.

“With that, there will be less tension over leadership and people will no longer be bothered about where the leader comes from or who the leader is. The way the country is structured, it is bound to continue to witness more frictions if not restructured. We need to restructure to attain true federalism and a good governance system based on rule of law,” they added.

Addressing Journalists shortly after ILT’s two-day meeting in Enugu, Deputy Leader of the group, Prof Chinweite Ejike, said they were worried with the trend of events in the country.

He disclosed that the meeting undertook serious review of the security situation, especially the frequent killings in parts of the country and herdsmen/farmers clashes over control of land and resources.

“The meeting observed that enough was not being done by the Federal Government to stop the uprisings. There is need to scale up intelligence monitoring to check further waste of lives and resources.

“The killings in the country have assumed a genocidal dimension and unless the issue of proper protection is being addressed, the country is as good as assumed, to be a failed state,” the leaders remarked.

While noting that fight against corruption, a cardinal objective of the Federal Government, may have been abandoned with the scale of lopsided appointments and distribution of amenities in the country, ILT said some sections of Nigeria, particularly the Igbo have been seriously marginalized.

It noted with dismay the use of public funds not budgeted or appropriated by certain government agencies and officials, stressing that it was tantamount to political corruption, just as it view with dismay alleged use of state power in pursuit of personal interests.

The leaders reviewed the proscription of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the Federal Government and called for it to be de-proscribed, saying, “we do not see anything that is wrong with one agitating for freedom in his own country.”