Fulani youths pledge support, shun ethnoreligious politics
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Fulani youths have expressed support for Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, saying they will no longer vote along ethnic and religious lines, and will instead back Obi because of his leadership qualities.
Fulani youths from the 19 Northern states and Abuja disclose their position at a meeting with Igbo Elders Consultative Forum (IEC) led by Chukwuemeka Ezeife.
They presented a document containing their demands to former Police Service Commission Chairman Simon Okeke who chaired the meeting.
Delegation leader Ibrahim Abdullahi explained they are supporting Obi so as to reinvent the alliance between the North and South East in the First and Second Republics.
“The current President is our kinsman but we have come to realise from experience that you don’t need to have someone from your tribe or faith as President before your live improves,” Abdullahi stressed.
“What we need is somebody that is patriotic, honest, just and fair. In Nigeria, Fulani are no longer after tribal or religious sentiments.
“We are looking for a leader that is capable of taking Nigeria to the promised land. We have realised that these two tribes, Fulani and Igbo, hold 99 per cent of the corporate existence of Nigeria.
“The Igbos have the control of over 80 per cent of the commercial activities in the country while the Fulanis control 99 per cent of the livestock we have. Igbos and Fulani coming together to work for the good of Nigeria will be the best.
“You should also know that this is not the first time. The alliance between the two ethnic groups in the First and Second Republics brought prosperity to the country.
“Though, we are still licking the wound of the Civil War and course, we have offended ourselves but we are doing this to bring about the much needed healing.”
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Obi a true unifier, Ezeife says
Ezeife described Obi as a true unifier who will banish poverty, insecurity, and all the other negatives associated with Nigeria, according to reporting by The PUNCH.
Responding to comment by Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo about Obi’s chances of winning Aso Rock, Ezeife said everybody cannot support Obi’s presidential bid.
Soludo had dismissed the chances of Obi in 2023 and criticised the style of Ndigbo in its quest for the Presidency in an article titled, “History beckons and I will not be silent.”
The article drew mixed reactions across the country and particularly on social media, where Soludo was heavily criticised.
“If Peter Obi becomes President, in the next two years, our sons and daughters abroad will begin to think of coming back home,” Ezeife enthused.
“God has His hand in Obi’s movement. I. Know him very well. Many years after I left as a Governor, I saw him at the airport carrying his own luggage. He insisted that public funds must be used for public good.
“Then, as we are here, if all of us (Igbos) are saying the same thing, it will look somehow. We are happy to hear that some might not be supporting him, but that doesn’t mean anything. I know that 99 per cent of the people are for Obi.”