The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Council, has faulted the comment credited to the leadership of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) that the North would present a better candidate for the 2023 elections. It said that the statement showed that its president is playing out the script of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).

The Igbo youths group said that the NEF was indirectly fighting the Yoruba 2023 presidency, and was advocating a Northern presidency beyond 2023, to checkmate Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress Party (APC) Bola Tinubu.

It, however, said the Igbo 2023 presidency project was more feasible, adding that it would unite the generality of Nigerians and helped calm frayed nerves, “which has heightened the agitation seen all over the country.”

The President-General of the body, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, stated this during a telephone conversation on Sunday, adding that any move to have a Northerner returned to the number one position in the country was dead on arrival.

News Express reports that the National President of the AYCF, Yerima Shettima, had in a recent interview with a national daily, said that the North would present a better presidential candidate in 2023.

“Yerima Shettima is playing the script of the Northern Elders Forum, which failed woefully to enthroned Atiku Abubakar as president with the intention of extending North in power for 16 years.

“This is against the gentleman agreement of power rotation between the North and South. And their sole aim is to equalise what they perceive as Southern Nigeria being ahead of the North in 20 years of democracy.

“They want to do that to checkmate the Vice, Yemi Osinbajo and the APC leader, Bola Tinubu, ahead of the 2023 future political scenarios, because they know the Southwest has the intention of taking the presidency in 2023,” he said.

“The NEF wants to elongate the North’s stay in power for 16 years, with a wrong notion that they have more population and voting strength.

“But, we the Ohanaeze Youth Ndigbo Youth Council, have the data of number of Igbo voters in the North and mind you, the Middle Belt has aligned with the South to have an upper hand against the North.”

The President-General of the youth group, who noted that President Buhari was a kind man and would not succumb to the dictates of the NEF, stressed that the President would handover to an Igbo man as he hitherto promised.

He added: “The Igbos in 2019 supported President Buhari, than in 2015, because of the immense efforts of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, through the office of the Secretary-General, Barr. Uche Okwukwu. So, Buhari is a detribalised man and he will hand over to an Igbo man, as he promised, come 2023.”

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