Anambra State House of Assembly Committee Chairman on Works and lawmaker representing Njikoka 1 State Constituency in the 7th Legislature, Timothy Ifedioramma, has responded to what he described as a very careless and unguarded statement from Pastor Tunde Bakare.
Ifedioramma alleged that it was viral in the social media recently where Bakare categorically stated that the Igbo nation in Nigeria was cursed and the cleric did not make any effort to withdraw such statements.
Ifedioramma, who spoke with select journalists at the state Assembly Complex, Awka, said “Pastor Tunde Bakare is cursed and not Ndigbo,” adding that it was not a felony that the South- East region of Nigeria should produce the next president of the country because Ndigbo has greatly supported other regions.
The lawmaker explained that there are agitations in the South-West states, yet Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and others are running for the Presidency from the South-West. Still, they labeled the South-East as cursed because Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is agitating for equity, justice and fairness for Igbo Nigerians.
He said, “The likes of Nnamdi Kanu, Uwazuruike and others are agitating for their independence because of marginalisation and gross alienation of Ndigbo from the polity. We have continued to play the second fiddle role in Nigeria and the Igbo man is saying that he is not comfortable with such a degrading position.”
Ifedioramma noted that Ndigbo wants structural problems to be addressed in Nigeria because, according to him, when it was the turn of the South-South to ascend Presidency, Ndigbo supported in spite of the many agitations in the region.
The lawmaker, however, believes that a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction will help end agitations in the South-East region of the country.
He said, “What is wrong with APC giving an Igbo man ticket and PDP giving an Igbo man ticket to run for the Presidency? The fact that I am a member of APC doesn’t make my brother in PDP a bad person. Give the ticket to us and leave Nigerians to decide who is best among Igbo contestants from different political parties.
“What I am saying is that the South-East has not had its turn in the Presidency. Other regions should look at it and for fairness, equity and justice to reign, a Southeasterner should be allowed this time to quench all agitations and separatist movements. What our people are angry about is the fact that we are being marginalized and made second-class citizens in a nation that we belong to.”
[Independent]
