The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi has advanced reasons a southeasterner should not be allowed to become the President of Nigeria in 2023.
The first-class traditional ruler argued that the basis for seeking a southeastern presidency is not acceptable.
He argued further that no easterner can be trusted to be fair as the President of Nigeria because of their regional interests which would be put above national interest.
He said the frequent attacks by gunmen in the region including the sit-at-home order sponsored by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) is not only damaging to the development of the area but to the entire nation.
Oba Akanbi also stated that it is wrong for the southeasterners not to allow people from other parts of the country buy and own properties in the region while their own people go about establishing businesses in all parts of the country.
The monarch who is not a stranger to controversies made his position known in a statement made available to newsmen through his Chief Press Secretary, Alli Ibraheem
He urged the Igbos to reconsider some of their tactics and approaches if they truly want to have a president from the region.
His stand is coming at a time when there is a push for the 2023 presidency to be zoned to the south and particularly for the emergence of an Igbo president.
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.”
