You Can’t Get Presidency By Threatening Secession, El-Rufai Tells Igbos

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that the
Nigerian President of Igbo extraction will only happen if the
people of the South-East stop threatening the country with
secession.

El-Rufai said the regions that have produced Presidents that
ruled Nigeria achieved the feats by negotiating with people and
political parties, stressing that politics has to do with
negotiations and convincing others on why they should vote for the
candidates.

According to him, Igbo people will need to seek alliance with
other regions if they want someone from their area to be the next
President.

The governor said this during a webinar organised by the Africa
Leadership Group and tagged: ‘Developing a Viable Nation 2’.

The event was hosted by Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of Trinity
House.

El-Rufai, while responding to a question about why someone of
Igbo extraction has not become Nigeria’s president yet, said, “I
don’t think anyone has stopped the South-East from going for the
Presidency. But you see, you cannot get the Presidency of Nigeria
by threats or by shouting victimhood. This is a political process
and you have to engage other parts of Nigeria to convince them to
support you.

“That is what everyone does. That is what Jonathan did in 2011;
that is what Buhari did in 2015 and 2019. That is what every
President does. You don’t stay in your corner, abuse everyone in
Nigeria and say give me Presidency. It is not going to happen.

“Presidency is not by allocation. It is the result of a
political process. You join a political party, your party
negotiates with other parts of the country and it happens. That is
how it is done. And you cannot get it by sitting down or
threatening secession. It won’t work.

“I think the South-East is going about it the wrong way because
if you look at the APC (All Progressives Congress) for instance, we
do not have many footprints in the South-East.”

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that the
Nigerian President of Igbo extraction will only happen if the
people of the South-East stop threatening the country with
secession.

El-Rufai said the regions that have produced Presidents that
ruled Nigeria achieved the feats by negotiating with people and
political parties, stressing that politics has to do with
negotiations and convincing others on why they should vote for the
candidates.

According to him, Igbo people will need to seek alliance with
other regions if they want someone from their area to be the next
President.

The governor said this during a webinar organised by the Africa
Leadership Group and tagged: ‘Developing a Viable Nation 2’.

The event was hosted by Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of Trinity
House.

El-Rufai, while responding to a question about why someone of
Igbo extraction has not become Nigeria’s president yet, said, “I
don’t think anyone has stopped the South-East from going for the
Presidency. But you see, you cannot get the Presidency of Nigeria
by threats or by shouting victimhood. This is a political process
and you have to engage other parts of Nigeria to convince them to
support you.

“That is what everyone does. That is what Jonathan did in 2011;
that is what Buhari did in 2015 and 2019. That is what every
President does. You don’t stay in your corner, abuse everyone in
Nigeria and say give me Presidency. It is not going to happen.

“Presidency is not by allocation. It is the result of a
political process. You join a political party, your party
negotiates with other parts of the country and it happens. That is
how it is done. And you cannot get it by sitting down or
threatening secession. It won’t work.

“I think the South-East is going about it the wrong way because
if you look at the APC (All Progressives Congress) for instance, we
do not have many footprints in the South-East.”