Igbo youths, under the auspices of Coalition of Igbo Youths Vanguard Worldwide, have commended Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, for consistently supporting the emergence of a President of Igbo extraction in 2023 presidential election.
The Igbo youths said that that singular act was a demonstration of selflessness and unparalleled patriotism and should be emulated by prominent individuals across the divide for justice, peace and good governance to thrive in the country.
They also appreciated the support of all other men and women of good conscience, who recognise the urgent need for an Igbo presidency as part of measures to cure the injustice against the South-East zone.
The group, which appealed to other regions to consider the fact that supporting the 2023 quest for Igbo Presidency would be in the interest of justice, which requires equity for national healing, said that as a developing nation, Nigeria could not afford to treat any section of the country as “second class.”
In a statement signed by their National President, Dr. Hope Amadi and National Secretary, Mrs. Uju Kalu, the Igbo youths urged prominent Ndigbo, including politicians, businessmen and women, religious leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders, to close ranks, appealing against any act of sabotage against the project.
Meanwhile, the youth group has declared unflinching support for a united, indivisible and indissoluble nation, vowing to mobilise against anybody or group threatening to upset the apple cart in any way whatsoever.
Against this backdrop, it slammed the separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for foisting a baggage on the South-East following the perpetration of violence against Ndigbo as well as the Nigerian State.
The youths recommended the use of maximum force against the IPOB, predicating their position on the proscription of the organisation by a court of competent jurisdiction in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sometime in 2017.
The statement said: “In times of difficulty, where many leaders fail to live up to the billing, we send our appreciation to a pan-Nigerian and Chieftain of Yoruba socio-political and cultural group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, for his consistent support for the presidency to shift to the South-East come 2023.
“We note, with the greatest respect, the fact that, apart from making a case for the Igbo to have a feel of the presidency, Pa Adebanjo has never shied away from speaking the truth to power, a disposition that has earned him a special place in history.
“We also commend other well-meaning Nigerians across board, who have continued to add their voices of reason to that of the elder statesman to bequeath a nation founded of equity and justice to the next generation.”
“No doubt the time for Igbo presidency is now, and to achieve it, all hands must be on deck, especially among Ndigbo – home and in the Diaspora.
“As a people with a history of unfulfilled agitations, the Igbo must also show cause why we must be trusted with power against the backdrop of the suffocating violent activities of the proscribed IPOB.
“To place the South-East on a sound footing for the 2023 presidency, we recommend the denunciation of Kanu and his deviant followers by all Ndigbo who have chosen the part of destruction.
“We reject IPOB members and all they stand for, as their violent activities are not a true reflection of who Ndigbo are, and what they stand for or profess.
“We cannot conclude without calling on Igbo sons and daughters, home and abroad, to declare total and irrevocable support for one united, indivisible and prosperous nation, where peace and justice reign.”
Credit: The Guardian