Nigeria's former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged Igbos to contest for the presidency in 2019.
Obasanjo
revealed this on Tuesday, January 24, while hosting the leadership of
the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ogun state chapter, at his
Abeokuta Hilltop residence.
Obasanjo drums support for Igbos to contest for presidency in 2019
He
said he was in support of the return to regional governance, as it will
solve the problem of marginalization, adding the people of Ogun West
senatorial district, should be allowed to produce the next Governor.
He said: “Irrespective
of the thinking of the people ahead of 2019, I personally think that
South-East should have a go at the Presidency too.
“The
same is happening here. If Ijebu and Egba have produced the governor,
it is only fair and just to allow the Yewa or Ogun West to also produce
governor. Or else, one day, they will also stand up and take up arms
against this injustice against them. That is my personally position on
this.”
The former president speaking on the crisis in Southern Kaduna, said: “My
findings so far show that everyone is talking from the position of
strength. People are not talking from knowledge of what they know and
this is not helping. We must be able to dump all our sentiments to
overcome the challenges.
“Just like
other cases of injustice around us, we need peace; it is only peace with
justice that can solve all these crises. Genuine peace is what everyone
is craving for and this can only come when there is justice.”
It
was reported earlier that the north is making moves to get an
alternative to President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general
election, NAIJ.com has learnt from authoritative sources.
It was further learnt that as the hunt commences, Obasanjo seems to have settled for between his two allies, former governors of Jigawa and Kano, Sule Lamido and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Sources
privy to the political situations in the north told NAIJ.com in the
afternoon of Monday, January 23, 2017 that 2019 was one of the issues
discussed when former President Goodluck Jonathan visited Obasanjo on Friday, January 20.