The Southeast Youth Vanguard (SEYV) has described the recent call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for a president from the South-East in 2019 as a mischievous crusade. Jason Njoku, the group’s national coordinator, in a statement yesterday said the comment was aimed at causing tension, ill-will and confusion in the country.

Obasanjo had called for Igbo presidency when he hosted the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ogun State chapter, at his Abeokuta Hilltop residence on Tuesday. The organisation said the call by the former president would have been seen as the act of a friend, benefactor and statesman if the former president had dealt well with Ndigbo when he held the presidency for eight years.

It stated that Obasanjo’s insistence on a second term jeopardised the chance of the South-East and other zones in the country getting the Presidency at an earlier date. It said though the state of the nation today clearly makes the 2019 presidency an important issue, the South-East, however, would not want to be used as a pawn in former President Obasanjo’s many self-serving political schemes.

The group also stated that while the South-East looked forward to a shot at the presidency of the country, it was mindful of the fact that there was a zoning formula and understanding in place. “Therefore, based on the above democratic and patriotic calculations, we, the South-East Youth Vanguard, hereby reject the suspicious and patronising declaration of support by Chief Obasanjo for a president from the South-east come 2019,” the group said.

Source: Daily Trust