Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has defended the Igbo people’s right to hold the presidency, asserting that it is unfair to blame them solely for attempting secession.
In his statement, he expressed his discontent with the idea that Igbo candidates should be excluded from the presidency due to their involvement in the 1966 coup and subsequent secession attempt. He also argued that it is unfair and unjust to single out the Igbo, given that all three major ethnic groups in Nigeria have at some point sought independence through secession.
He made this remark on Tuesday, October 22, while addressing a delegation of 20 members from the League of Northern Democrats at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The delegation, led by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, convened at the library—a prestigious center for historical artifacts, archives, and educational resources—to discuss matters of national unity and leadership in Nigeria.
The elder statesman recalled that there was a strong move by the North to pull out of Nigeria through what he called the vehicle of Araba.
“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 said.
