Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide on Sunday caution the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) over their stands against rotational presidency in 2023. The apex Igbo socio-cultural group said that the fallouts and consequences that will follow the jettisoning of the rotational presidency between the South and North of Nigeria will be a call for a total boycott of the 2023 election in the South, especially in the South-East.
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Secretary-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide cautioned ACF, NEF, and others groups he said are fanning the embers of political commotion and disharmony by supporting the abolition of the gentleman’s agreement that power should rotate between North and South to think twice before acting further.
“They should be ready for the fallouts and consequences that will follow such obnoxious standpoints and declarations. It’s obvious that the Northern Elders Forum has opted for absurdity in issues that will strengthen internal democracy in all political parties.
“Any attempt by northern socio-cultural groups to arm-twist the two major political parties through their sons who are National Chairmen of APC and PDP to derail the electoral process will lead to revolts and boycotts of 2023 presidential election in the south, especially in the East.
“It’s obvious that the leaderships of political parties are under coercion from northern lobbyists and northern socio-cultural groups to destroy the trust and confidence that binds Nigerians together through the rotational presidency between the North and South.
“We believe that those who have bedevilled the National parties Chairmen to compromise on zoning, should have learned from the sad experiences of the North since 2013, when they compromised the security of lives and properties through the frustration of President Jonathan’s administration and installed Buhari in 2015, has the insecurity in North reduced with Buhari as President?
He charged Southern Governors and other Southern socio-cultural groups to mobilize their people and boycott the 2023 presidential election in the South, especially in the South-East if the Northern candidates emerge in APC and PDP.
“Whenever it gets to the turn of the Igbo, the narratives will change against them, whenever it’s time for Igbo to attain any position, there will be gang ups and clandestine networks to fuel crisis and disasters against them.
“There will be boycotts in 2023 Presidential elections when it will be obvious that we are no longer available to be voted for as Nigerians, but Igbos will surely survive all these political conspiracies against them.”
