South will not get the presidency on a platter- Ex envoy
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
A former Ambassador to Malaysia, Amb. Yerima Abdullahi, has said the Igbos or any part of southern region wouldn’t be given the position of president on a ‘platter’.
The former envoy declared that anyone is free to contest, while lamenting the situation where some parts of the country would not team up with the winning sphere towards successful ambition.
He made this disclosure in an interview with our correspondent in Gombe, adding that if Late M.K Abiola, did it in the past by winning widely, it could be replicated in 2023 and beyond.
According to him, “Let the Igbos be serious, everyone knows how to handle the presidency. We have learnt from what late Abiola did, even as the election was annulled, he beat a Kano man even in Kano.
“He won more votes in Northern Nigeria. The reason for annulling the election was entirely something different not for you and I.”
Abdullahi said, “If there is an Igbo man who thinks he is capable of being acceptable in Nigeria let him try. Abiola has done it before although from the south west, so any Igbo, efik, Ibibio anyone from the south can do it again.
“There is nothing miraculous about it, so I can’t understand the argument about the Igbo presidency. For one thing, we in the North will not hand it over the office of president to Igbo or anybody on a platter.
“It is not free of charge, they can’t seat down in their own enclave castigating everybody. Thinking that other Nigerians will be happy with them, No! if you want Nigeria to vote for you, go and meet them in their own corners.”
While profering solution to how power can be circulated across all divides, the elder statesman said the frontline aspirants have the potentials of making themselves desirable to wider electorates.
He added, “They are the politicians, I’m only interested in politics but certainly not to make Kalu a president of this country, I have no business making him a president of the country it is his own business, neither do I have business making Tinubu the president of this country, he can make himself the president.
“That is his job not mine, let them try and do it because someone has done it before. So, whether it is Uzor Kalu or Tinubu, the country is open.”
Commenting on the spate of insecurity in Nigeria, Abdullahi said the attacks were both historical and political.
“Insecurity is a dare situation Nigeria has found itself, the causes are unfortunately many; some are historical, while some others are deep rooted and in the nature of certain groups to be doing legal things, like we found ourselves in Zamfara, and in the East.
“The present situation has a political foundation because they are people who are not happy with president Buhari and they want to create the most difficult situation for him. However, this same people have some measure of control on the press and they are able to gather criticisms against Buhari.
“The truth will always remain, whether you like the face of Buhari face or not or the governance or not. However, bad you feel about Buhari, one thing that certainly you can not hold against him is stealing Public funds or misappropriating public funds because if there is one person that is alive and has handled so much responsibility in terms of public resources and he has not mismanaged them is Buhari. He started as governor of current North East, became minister of petroleum, including PTDF chairman, former Head of State.”
