The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has stated that he can trust any Southeasterner to be Nigeria’s President.
His stand is coming at a time the South-East is demanding a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction, on the basis of equity.
He noted that the sit-at-home order issued by the members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) was not only inimical to their survival but also to the growth of the nation.
Oba Abdulrosheed also advocated for a rethink by the South Easterners to their approach. The monarch held that no Nigerian will feel secure in the hands of a leader whose ethnic attachment deprived other Nigerians of their rights.
In a statement through Alli Ibraheem, his Chief Press Secretary, the Oluwo stated that the failure of the South Easterners to change their approach will amount to chasing shadow on their political journey of producing Nigeria’s President.
While acknowledging the damage done to Igbos by the Nigerian civil war, he enjoined the south easterners to rescind on their attitude of barring people from other parts of the country from owning properties in their domain.
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He insisted that the policy was not only detrimental to their political strength, but also a deficit to the economic unity of Nigeria.
According to him, “The civil war wounds meted on south easterners is a weak factor to institutionalize policies capable of tearing the nation apart.
“I have people from across Nigeria in Iwo, including the South Easterners. They do not only have their businesses but also built their houses and own farm lands. Such is not only peculiar to Iwo but to other parts of the country, except the South-East. A Nigerian in Nigeria should be able to own land anywhere.
“The style by the South easterners is barbaric. Such is not only detrimental to their economic viability but also to their political recognition. As a traditional ruler, I can’t trust any South easterner as my President.
“You can’t be a leader on sectional interest. With such unsophisticated, primitive and uncivilized thinking, no Nigerian from other zones will vote a south easterner as their President.”
