Igbos To El-Rufai: Tackle Bandits In Kaduna Before Commenting On 2023 Presidency

A political group, the World Igbo Peoples Assembly (WIPAS), has berated Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai for saying the South-East region will not get the 2023 Presidency by threatening other Nigerians with secession.

Recall that El-Rufai had warned the southeast against using threats or ‘shouting victimhood’ as a means to grab the 2023 presidency.

Speaking at a webinar hosted by Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of Trinity House, El-Rufai had said Igbo could only produce Nigeria’s President through a political process, by forming an alliance with other regions.

“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,” El-Rufai said.

Reacting in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Ms Chinonyerem Dick, on Monday, WIPAS asked the Kaduna governor to first of all deal with insecurity in his state.

The group stated that agitations from the North or west or Niger Delta did not stop their own from becoming the President of Nigeria and will not stop an Igbo from succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

They advised El Rufai to stop being mischievous purveyors of sectarian views and stoking the embers of disunity in the country.

Meanwhile, Ohanaeze Ndigbo had also described El-Rufai’s comments as “idiotic and laughable.”

The group warned the Kaduna State governor to stop blackmailing the region and focus on the security challenges confronting his state.

“Nigerians are aware of the backstage activities of Gov El Rufai as the ‘Idi Amin of the North’, whose interest is contradictory to the Northern collective interests,” the group said.

“He is only pushing the selfishness of the few cabals deceiving President Muhammadu Buhari without any solution to the insecurity challenges in the north and now spreading in the south. We urge El Rufai to fix the Kaduna State insecurity challenges before discussing the 2023 elections.

“Southeast is not alone in the secessionist movements. We have seen Oduduwa and Middle belt ethnic groups displaying flags of Oduduwa and Middle belt nations, as both groups are in the same self-determination struggle as the Igbos.

“We are aware that in1999, Nigerians voted for Yoruba presidency based on the injustices meted against MKO Abiola which brought Obasanjo Presidency. We are aware that Niger delta struggles brought former President Jonathan to power in 2011.

“We are also aware that Gov El Rufai and other northerners used the Northern insurgency to push President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015. It’s time to use the 2023 Igbo Presidency project to end the Biafra agitation, as any attempt by El-Rufai and co-travellers to blackmail Igbos with secessionist movements is dead on arrival.”