The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has sent a message to the Nigerian government and political parties in the country.
OYC challenged the Nigerian government and Nigerians to prove the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) wrong in their quest for secession by calling for a President from the southeast in 2023.
The group charged the Federal Government and Nigerians, in general, to prove to the Igbo new generation that the southeast is also a part of the country, by ceding the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential tickets to the region.
It stated this on Monday in a statement made available to Our Source by the National President, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka.
The council said, “Since after the war, beginning from 1970 up until now, no Southeasterner has ever become the president of Nigeria, whether military or civilian. It is this magnitude of Injustice and Marginalization that makes pro-Biafrans groups conclude that they are not part of the country.
“By exactly 2023, it be will be 53 years of a successful conspiracy to deny a Southeasterner the opportunity of becoming the president of Nigeria.
But, this is a golden opportunity for all political stakeholders in Nigeria to prove IPOB and MASSOB wrong by ceding presidential tickets of both APC, PDP and other Frontline political parties to the southeast.
“Those who work against justice, fairness and equity have no business talking about Nigeria’s unity and peace, because any attempt to deny Southeastern APC and PDP presidential tickets is a clear indication of deliberate injustice and unfairness against the Igbo nation and its capable of disrupting Nigeria’s Unity”.
Ohaneze youths restated that the long-desired unity of the country could be obtainable through strict adherence to the president of Southeast extraction 2023 project, describing same as the only possible means of reconciliation and reintegration of every aggrieved pro-Biafrans into Nigeria’s political project.
OYC said: “Nigeria can regain its path to national co-existence only if those clamouring for the indivisibility of Nigeria as an Anthem will also sing the song of Justice, Fairness, and Equity by embracing Nigeria president of Southeast extraction 2023 as a project of reconciliation, rehabilitation, reintegration, that will reintegrate every aggrieved pro-Biafrans and other maltreated ethnic nationalities.
“No man pushes a man and at the same time shows him where to fall, for 53 years, the new generation of Igbo extraction have been pushed, rejected, maltreatment, marginalized. It was this dehumanization that prompted many groups to begin to agitate for secession. Now, it’s left for political
and religious leaders to prove to Pro- Biafrans whether they’re wrong or right. Because the two options before Nigerians are either to allow Southeast to be part of Nigeria, with Nigeria president of Southeast extraction 2023, or allow Southeast not to be part of Nigeria by granting the call for Self-determination.
“These two options are inevitable in this our digital time; the time of technology. The Nigerian political actors must rise now to resist the repeat of incidents that lasted from 1966 to 1970. No country can be prosperous under a violent atmosphere.
“Nigeria must learn her lesson from the past event, you can’t deny the southeast right for self-determination and at the same time deny them the right to produce the Nigeria next president expect peace and Unity. For peace and unity to prevail, the southeast should for once be given the mantle of leadership in the country,” Comrade Igboayaka concluded.
