Controversy as Obasanjo, IBB gets Igbo lauding

Controversy as Obasanjo, IBB gets Igbo lauding

- Following their statements in support of Igbo presidency, Chief Martin Onovo has saluted two ex-leaders of nation - Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida

- The National Conscience Party (NCP) presidential candidate for 2015 polls, says the leaders were right on their stance for Igbos

- Onovo says every Nigerian must support the Igbo agenda, come 2019

Chief Martin Onovo, the 2015 Presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), has commended ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s call for Igbo Presidency in 2019.

Onovo, in an interview on Thursday, Januray 26, in Lagos, also commended former Head of State, retired Gen. Ibrahim Babangida for his declaration of support for such call.

“Obj is the most experienced and leader of all politicians across all parties in Nigeria today. He knows a lot more from the experience than many of us.

“Rotational presidency is a Nigerian phenomenon and it is particularly Nigerian.

“We have seen our heterogeneous composition and we have realised that since power is owned by component groups, to create peace for development, to create inclusiveness, it must be rotated.

“There is no state in Nigeria, local government or community where rotation is not going on and power not being rotated. So this is the right thing for Nigeria and Obj is clearly right.

“Also, IBB is also agreeing with that, that he would support Igbos. So, it is very clear that this is the right thing to do and this is what we should do,” Onovo said.

According to him, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it was founded in 1999 realised the need for rotation of the presidency in order to ensure peace.

The former presidential candidate expressed strong belief that the South East region would overcome the challenges of marginalisation with a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction.

“Domination cannot be positive in politics, politics is representative, so the South East must be adequately represented in politics of Nigeria otherwise it will become counterproductive for the nation.

“And that is what Chief Obasanjo and Babangida realised and promoting right now. That is the right thing to do," the Imo born politician stressed.

He said that every patriotic Nigerian must support the call in the interest of the nation.

Obasanjo while hosting the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ogun Chapter on Tuesday said that the region, in 57 years of independence of the country, had not produced a democratically-elected president.

OBJ said that the problem of marginalisation and injustice had been major source of conflicts in the country.

In a related development, a civil society organisation named the Igbo Conscience Group (ITC), has urged Igbos to ignore the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for Igbo presidency in 2019.

The ITC made the call on Thursday, January 26, charging people from the South-East region of the country to look unto 2023.

Mr Onyekachi Ubani, Chairman of the group said in Lagos that such call was capable of causing political miscalculation on the part of the region that may lead to misunderstanding with other parts of country.