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El-Rufai reveals things about Igbo making 2023 presidency impossible for the region
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, is not a politician that make bones about his view, and so frequently stokes his critics’ choler when he speaks, as he did Thursday about the Igbo chances in the 2023 presidential election.
“You don’t stay in your corner, abuse everyone in Nigeria and say give me Presidency. It is not going to happen,” the APC governor said in response to Igbo and the 2023 presidency.
El-Rufai was a speaker at a webinar, organised by the Africa Leadership Group, tagged ‘Developing a Viable Nation 2’, and hosted by Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of the Trinity House.
According to the governor, nobody has ever said Igbo won’t attain the presidency.
“But you see, you cannot get the Presidency of Nigeria by threats or by shouting victimhood. This is a political process and you have to engage other parts of Nigeria to convince them to support you.
“That is what everyone does. That is what Jonathan did in 2011; that is what Buhari did in 2015 and 2019. That is what every President does.”
Again, El-rufai noted as far as his APC is concerned, the chances of the southeast grabbing the ticket are slim.
He insisted presidency is not by allocation, but aresult of a political process.
“You join a political party, your party negotiates with other parts of the country and it happens. That is how it is done. And you cannot get it by sitting down or threatening secession. It won’t work,” he said.
The problem now is the southeast is no friend of the ruling party, and President Muhammadu Buhari won’t just hand over to the Igbo because they are agitated.
“…If you look at the APC for instance, we do not have many footprints in the south-east,” said El-rufai.
Apart from Imo that he APC won through the Supreme Court judgement, and Ebonyi which it got by the recent defection of Gov David Umahi, there is no other state in the region the party can boast of.
Again, the region’s socio-political groups are neither here nor there as secession goes.