By Benjamin Auta
Convener of Country First Movement, Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia, has berated calls for rotational presidency made by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Ohaneze Nd’Igbo and Chief Alex Ogbonnia for the return of democracy to the southern part of the country come 2023.
Speaking to journalists on the issue, Mustapha Nwaokobia said that “I would not have responded to that demeaning press statement penned by Chief Alex Ogbonnia and credited to Ohaneze Nd’Igbo, but for the issue of lies, perfidy and conceit that litter that ignoble effort at rewriting history.”
He said that blackmail does not legitimize falsehood as he questioned the legality of the veracity of the press statement credited to Ohaneze Nd’Igbo.
“I am a Nigerian of Igbo extraction, and do not subscribe to rotational presidency, and there are millions of Igbo who believe that competency and capacity must denominate the entire space of our politics as 2023 approaches,” he said.
He added that there is also no constitutional backing for zoning and rotational presidency in the country.
“In fact the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended provides for the freedom of all citizens above the age of 35 who possess the requisite qualification to aspire to the office of President.
“To zone and or restrict the high office of President to a particular region or zone is therefore unconstitutional. How does that logical argument of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State merit the kindergarten response of one Chief Alex Ogbonnia who claims to be the Spokesman of Ohaneze Nd’Igbo?
“Even more curious is the effort to drag a highly respected Socio-Cultural group like Ohaneze Nd’Igbo in the mud by deploying very unworthy and uncharitable language in that foul attempt by Chief Ogbonnia to rewrite history,” he added.
Mustapha Nwaokobia said that, that 1998 meeting at the National University Commission Conference Centre in Abuja referred to in the Ohaneze Nd’Igbo statement did not settle the issue of zoning and or rotational presidency.
“Yes, there were persuasive arguments on the need for zoning but no such thing was agreed upon. It is on record that a few months after, Chief Alex Ekwueme, Chief Jim Nwobodo and a few others outside the Southwest zone were to contest for the Presidential Ticket of the People’s Democratic Party against Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who was the leading candidate of the Southwest in the PDP primaries. So where and when was zoning rotational presidency settled?”
He noted that Governor Yahaya Bello may have been in Ahmadu Bello University at the period in the nation’s history which the Ohaneze statement seek to misrepresent.
“If zoning and or rotational presidency was settled as a protocol on our body polity, would President Mohammadu Buhari have been a three-time candidate before he won the 2015 Presidency in his fourth attempt?
“If zoning or rotational presidency were a settled item in our polity would former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have been a four-time Presidential Candidate since 2007?
“Would the array of Northern and Southern aspirants who participated in the various presidential primaries of the leading political parties between 1999 and 2019 have been?” he questioned.
He implored the eminent leader of Ohaneze Nd’Igbo Chief George Obizor to helm in the Spokesman of the group because, according to him, Ndigbo is made up of good students of history and do not deploy falsehood, mendacity and perfidy in pursuit of any worthy cause.