Obasanjo recalled that there was a strong move by the North to pull out of Nigeria through what he called the vehicle of “Araba“
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has made a case for Igbo presidency, saying it is not fair to blame the ethnic group for attempting to break away from Nigeria.
He made this known on Tuesday at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while talking to a 20-man delegation of the League of Northern Democrats, led by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.
Addressing the group, the former Nigerian leader argued that the country’s three major ethnic nationalities had at one time or another attempted to break up the nation through secession.
Obasanjo added that it is wrong for Nigerians to say no Igbo man would become president because of the ethnic nationality’s involvement in the bloody January 15, 1966 coup that truncated the First Republic.
The elder statesman further stressed that there were Nigerians from other parts of the country who also attempted to secede from Nigeria, recalling that there was a strong move by the North to pull out of Nigeria through what he called the vehicle of “Araba”.
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Speaking during the visit, Obasanjo said, “I think all of us in Nigeria have to rethink… It bleeds my heart when people say because the Igbo had carried out a secession, an Igbo man cannot be the president of Nigeria.
“I say what nonsense? There is no section of Nigeria that has not planned a secession. What is ‘Araba’ in the North? The North planned to break up Nigeria. Ahmed Jooda, a very good friend of mine, said that.
“What is treasonable felony? So, who among us can say I am better than the other? None! So, let us put our heads together and build a country together.”
He, however, noted that many Nigerians shared the worries expressed by the National League of Democrats but added that he would only support the movement if it has a national outlook and not the present provincial or regional identity.
