EDWIN Clark, a former Minister of Information has asked the people of Southwest geo-political zone to bury the thoughts of ruling the country in 2023, saying that the Southeast deserves the presidency in the next political dispensation.
Clark, who is also a Niger Delta elder statesman questioned antecedents of Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC),and asked him and those fronting for him for the 2023 presidency to forget the idea.
Rather, he called on Nigerians to jettison the discrimination against the Igbo tribe noting that the Southeast people are part of the entity called Nigeria.
He disclosed this in an interview published by Punch on Sunday, stressing that, “The mere fact that we fought a war does not make an Igbo man a second class citizen.”
Describing the late Nnamdi Azikwe as greatest politician in the nation, Clark, who is also the Chairman of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum insisted that Nigeria does not belong to a particular tribe but everyone.
“Power should move to the South-East and not South-West. Those who are talking about South-West, is it because Senator Bola Tinubu wants to become the President of Nigeria? Why? What are his credentials?,he queried.
Meanwhile, Clark cited the instance of France and Germany which were rivals but later became best of friends, after the Second World War.
He said there are notable people in the Southeast, aside from the former governor, Peter Obi who contested with Atiku Abubakar during the 2019 election.
“Can you say Obi cannot rule this country? There are many Obis in the East. Forget about governors and parliamentarians. I am always having meeting with Ohanaeze and Afenifere, and Middle Belt. The President of Ohaeneze today, Dr. John Nwodo, can rule this country. He has the qualities. So I do not know why some people will be discriminating against their fellow Nigerians.
“Who says Nigeria belongs to you alone? I have to congratulate El-Rufai for saying that the next President of Nigeria should come from the South and we the Southerners believe it should go to the Southeast,” he said.
It could be recalled that last month, Nasir El-rufai, Governor of Kaduna State also made a similar argument, when he pushed for the next President to emerge from the southern part of the country but he was not specific on the exact region in the south.
But the Arewa Youth Forum also blamed El-rufai for his utterance stressing that it was for a self-fish reason as the governor was working towards becoming the next Vice President.
Meanwhile, a former governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, had also canvassed that the next president should be from the Southeast for the sake of justice and equity.
“El-Rufai said the Presidency should go to the South right? I’m also saying the presidency should go to the Southeast for the sake of justice, peace, and equality,” the former Kaduna State governor stated.
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at [email protected]. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin