Apex Igbo sociocultural group; Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has called on presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar to apologise to the Igbo and the entire Southern Nigeria for bringing divisive politics into his campaigns.
Atiku, during an Interactive Session with Arewa Joint Committee held on Saturday in Kaduna State, said that Nigeria doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo President in 2023.
He said “I have traversed the whole of this country, I know the whole of the country, I have built bridges across the country.
“What the average Northerner needs is somebody who’s from the north and also understands that part of the country and has been able to build bridges across the country. This is what the Northerner needs, it doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate, I stand before you as a Pan-Nigerian of northern origin.”
Reacting to the statements, the spokesman of Ohanaeze, Alex Ogbonnia expressed disappointment, saying that the remark only exposed Atiku’s mindset about the country.
He added that the remark only contradicts Atiku’s claims to being a cosmopolitan and detribalised Nigerian, urging him to withdraw the statement which is divisive and provocative.
Ogbonnia said: “That was a very provocative remark coming from a former vice president of Nigeria. His remark perhaps brings out his mindset about the country.
