Prominent Yoruba, Igbo and Ijaw socio-cultural groups have said President Muhammadu Buhari should forget about winning in the South-West and other regions in southern Nigeria if he does not restructure the country before the 2019 elections.
The groups – Afenifere, Ohanaeze, Ijaw Youth Congress and Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger Delta – all in separate interviews on Friday commended Buhari for declaring June 12 as Democracy Day.
They however noted that it was only by restructuring the country that the regions could consider giving Buhari their votes in the next election.
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said in an interview that the South-West region had accepted the honour given to the late acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 election, Chief M.K.O Abiola, but it was not ready to vote for the incumbent to rule for another four years if restructuring was not done and killings by suspected herdsmen halted.
He said, “We are deeply appreciative of what has been done, but that is where it ends. To say this is to sway South-West to vote in one particular direction would mean that was a Greek gift and a gimmick but that cannot work with the people in the South-West.
“The issue of restructuring is very key to us and for us, 2019 is about restructuring. And it’s not going to be a promissory note that ‘we are going to do it’; rather, it is ‘we have done it.’
“If they refuse to restructure before 2019, they should forget the South-West. They should know that in 2015, Buhari had 52 per cent of the votes in South-West and former President Goodluck Jonathan had 48 per cent, and what gave Jonathan that 48 per cent was the promise to restructure.
“Whatever the motive for this was, because there was so-called Democracy Day on May 29 and there was a presidential broadcast, but there was no mention of Moshood Abiola and there was no mention of June 12. Whatever caused the change of mind between May 29 and June 6, honestly that is not our own headache.”
Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga, said the declaration would not make any difference in Buhari’s prospects in the next election.
Speaking with one of our correspondents in Enugu, Achi-Okpaga described the declaration as a ‘ploy’ designed to ‘distract and divert attention’.
Achi-Okpaga added that the people of the South-West were enlightened enough to see through the ‘ploy’.
“I am not oblivious of the fact that the South-West is enlightened as it is a politically virile region,” he said.
The Ohanaeze spokesman also noted that the honour bestowed on the late Abiola had no relevance to the Igbo, whom he said had been battling several years of marginalisation and oppression in the country.
He said, “Of what relevance is it to Ndigbo? You are honouring Abiola, who died fighting for his political mandate but here in the South-East, you are killing youths who are expressing their political rights.
“It is a ploy designed to distract and divert the attention of Nigerians from the economic, political, security and allied challenges in Nigeria.”
The Ohanaeze spokesman insisted on the restructuring of the country, saying Buhari should restructure Nigeria if he really wants to do the right thing.
Achi-Okpaga explained, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo has stated this time without number that, unless we restructure the country, it will remain a stationary machine, all motion and no movement.
“We encapsulated this position in the Ekwueme Square Declaration in Awka, Anambra State, during the South-East Summit on Restructuring.
“Virtually, every region has embraced restructuring, including his party, the All Progressives Congress. He is the only person sitting on restructuring. He has about one year left in office and it is enough time for him to give effect to it (restructuring). If he really wants to do the right thing, he should restructure Nigeria.”
Also, the President of IYC, Eric Omare, described Buhari’s declaration as a “cosmetic” move that would not win him votes in the South-West or the South-South.
“No, it is just to massage the ego of his supporters and keep Nigerians busy for some time, but beyond that, it is of no tactical relevance,” Omare said.
He, however, urged him to follow what Abiola truly stood for by restructuring the country and respecting the rule of law.
“Our position is that it is not enough to declare June 12 as Democracy Day; that is cosmetic. What will make it important is when the ideals that the late Abiola fought for are implemented and there is respect for rule of law, restructuring Nigeria in such a way that the federating units will be the basis of development and ultimately, work to alleviate poverty because that was the main focus of his campaign.
“So as far as those issues have not been addressed, declaring June 12 as Democracy Day is of no significance,” he said.
The President of Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger Delta, Prof. Kimse Okoko, also described the move as an attempt by the President to deceive voters from the South-West, which he said would fail.
Okoko explained that although such a declaration was good, its motive was wrong and aimed at placating the South-West in order to reap personal political gains.
“It is a desperate move to woo the Yoruba. But the people cannot be fooled by that. The move itself is good, but the motive is wrong.
“If his (President Buhari) intention was good, why did he not make such a declaration as soon as he got into office? I will be very surprised if President Buhari comes back because his government has not done well,” he said.
Okoko, however, decried the poor response of the President to the call for the restructuring of the country, adding that Buhari openly rejected the call for restructuring.
He said, “I have always said that without the restructuring of this country, the country is heading for the rocks.
“Obviously, President Buhari is not in support of restructuring, but he is wooing the South-West, South-South, South-East and the Middle Belt with the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day. What he is doing now is simply an attempt to deceive the voters.”
Meanwhile, the Oodua Peoples Congress has described the declaration as a welcome development and also called for the restructuring of the country.
It however said it did not want to get involved in whether the move was political or whether it would win the President votes or not.
The Leader of the OPC and Aare Ona Kakanfoo of Yorubaland, Otunba Gani Adams said, “The issue of June 12 has been on for almost 25 years. A lot of people have died in the course of the struggle and without compensation and we as a group have suffered a lot also because of this issue.
“I commend Buhari for this; he has been in power for three years and I have never commended anything he has done but I was not expecting this. But he has to do more; he should restructure Nigeria so that his name can be written in gold.
“Without restructuring Nigeria, there is no way there will be integrity with the structure we have. We are in a house that was not well planned and does not suit our population and diversity. So there is no way we can produce good leaders and political heroes like the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo with this structure.
“If Nigeria is restructured, I’m sure that within a period of five years, it will be a new state and a new nation that we citizens will be proud of. Before the elections in February 2019, the President still has the opportunity to write his name in history. If he can do that, I think most of the wrong things that he was perceived to have done will be corrected immediately because there is no permanent enemy in politics.” – Punch.
