June 26, (THEWILL) – The President-General of the Igbo Community in Ogun State, John Oguebunwa, speaks on Igbo presidency and other matters in this interview with SEGUN AYINDE. Excerpts:
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a National leader of the Pan-Yoruba Social-Political Group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo have maintained that it is the turn of the South-East to produce Nigeria’s next president. What is your take on this?
What former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Pa Ayo Adebanjo did to canvass for an Igbo president was an act of patriotism. It means they believe in the unity of Nigeria and they are honest about it and not paying lip service. Pa Adebanjo had not been known for any selfish interest and we know Obasanjo to be a pan-Nigerian leader. When he was president, you saw how power was distributed through appointments. He didn’t want to know whether you were Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa. As long you were qualified for a job, he would give it to you. Both men have sspoken the truth. An Igbo man ought to be President of Nigeria.
Would you say that Obasanjo and Adebanjo’s calls for a president of South-East origin are intended to stop the Igbo from agitating for Biafra?
The issue of Biafra is the Igbo’s own way of demanding justice and equity in Nigeria. You see, the Igbo the number one people that promote one Nigeria. The Igbo are everywhere in the country promoting commerce. So why will they want Nigeria to collapse? Having seen what was happening in the country, they decided that if that was the way other ethnic groups want Nigeria to be, then everybody could go their separate ways. That was what led to the agitation.
Why haven’t Ndigbo come together to present one candidate for the presidency?
It is not necessary to have one only one presidential candidate from the South-East. Even if 100 Igbo politicians indicated their interest in the presidency, the political parties will still have to screen them, conduct primary elections to elect their own candidates. This does not mean that the Igbo are not united. On the contrary, the Igbo people are known to speak with one voice. Why can’t Nigerian leaders do what they did in 1999?
In 1999, our leaders decided to shift power to the Yoruba after the death of Chief Moshood Abiola. It was not only Obasanjo that ran for president; Olu Falae also did. They were the only ones that contested for president and this was because the political parties existing at the time were regimented. There were only three parties on ground: The Alliance For Democracy (AD), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
But when the then military Head of State, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, announced that two out of the three parties actually qualified and we knew the AD was not qualified, the government decided to register the party so as to appease the Yoruba. Why can’t the present Federal Government do the same thing for Ndigbo, now that there are many parties? The government can declare that it has zoned the presidency to the South-East and then direct members of the political class to pick an Igbo man from any of the political parties to be their candidates and at the end of the general election Nigeria will now choose the president. That is what they should have done.
Do you think that an Igbo president can guarantee the unity of the country?
Yes, an Igbo president can unify Nigeria. As soon as such a person becomes the president, he will begin to work to stabilise the country. In terms of commerce and industry in the country, the Igbo man will excel and there will no longer be agitation for a separate country. Did you know that in 1998 the Yoruba wanted to go their own way when Abiola died? I heard what the then Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, said at that time. Oba Sijuade said that if Abiola’s mandate was not restored, northerners in the South would have to return to the North, while southerners would stay in the South and that brought about Obasanjo’s selection as president. The agitation eventually went down since the Yoruba knew that their son, Obasanjo, had been made president. So if an Igbo man becomes the president of the country, the IPOB agitation will die naturally.
As it is, Peter Obi is the only presidential candidate from the South-East. Are you now saying that Tinubu and Atiku should withdraw from the 2023 Presidential election?
I have not said so. Come to think of it, why is there no rotational presidency? What is so difficult there? We were on the streets with Tinubu during the June 12, 1993 crisis, fighting for democracy and justice. Is Tinubu supposed to come out now to run for president? He should listen to Pa Adebanjo and Obasanjo and not contest. Atiku, who is from the North, should not contest, too. Sadly, Nigeria is programmed in such a way that it is always prone to crisis.
What is your take on Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s statement that the Federal Government should either release Nnamdi Kanu or begin his trial?
The real trial has not commenced since the time he was forcefully brought from Kenya. So, if the Federal Government knows that Nnamdi Kanu has no case to answer, they should release him. Under the Nigerian Constitution, the Attorney-General of the Federation has the power to go to court either personally or by a lawyer through a letter signed by him that the government is no longer interested in the case.
If the Federal Government wants peace to reign, it should release Kanu. Nobody is saying that Kanu is above the law, but there are certain things you don’t handle with law. Buhari was in Ebonyi State and he said the issue of Kanu will be handled with law and we know this law is moving at snail speed. Release Kanu today and you will see that IPOB will calm down. The IPOB has said that it is no longer interested in issuing sit-at-home orders, except when Kanu wants to go to court, but there are some bad elements using the sit-at-home order to foment trouble in disguise. So, if Kanu is released, there will be no sit-at-home again and those who are using his name to perpetrate evil will now be exposed. But the problem is that the Federal Government is not sincere.
How would you describe the Dapo Abiodun Administration in Ogun State?
As a community leader, my duty is not to be partisan, but individuals can have their political interests and differences. Quite frankly, the Igbo in Ogun State like Governor Dapo Abiodun’s government. The governor carries the Igbo along on many things he is doing. Although previous governments had a good relationship with the Igbo, Abiodun has improved on it. I can say that Ndigbo will endorse Abiodun for a second term. For example, in Yewa there are some roads that have been abandoned for more than 30 years, which Governor Abiodun is working on at the moment. When, i wanted to take the West African School Certificate Examination in 1985 in Ogun State, the road from Iboro to Ayetoro was bad and it remained that way until 2021 when the Dapo Abiodun Administration started work on it. So, if somebody who is not an indigene of Yewaland can fix the road from Owode to Ilaro and the Agbara-Atan Road, as well as the Iboro-Igbogila Road, among others in the state then I think he deserves a second term.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
