The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has declared that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, is free to come and solicit for votes in the South-East.
It was learnt that a certain group, Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, had asked promoters of the Tinubu Presidency to keep off the zone.
At a press briefing in Abuja, on Friday, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council cautioned the group against unnecessary political tension in the zone.
The National President of OYC, mazi Okwu Nnabuike said it was unjustifiable for any person to ban Tinubu or any other person from soliciting for votes in the South-East.
Nnabuike said the Ohanaeze would not sit by and watch any form of divisive politics, which he described as “the major factor that has kept Nigeria down for such a very long time.”
The Ohanaeze youths maintained that every Nigerian reserved the right to campaign for candidates of their choice, by marketing such a person convincingly to the electorate.
“Politics of bitterness and acrimony will not take Nigeria anywhere, especially as the country is presently operating at its lowest ebb. There is no doubt that the country has never been this divided and this is why campaigns should be on issues and not ethnicity.”
According to them, Tinubu’s promoters are free to campaign for him anywhere in Igbo land. He added that other presidential candidates should also have a smooth sail in taking their campaign to every part of the country.
“Ndigbo remain a very accommodating tribe in Nigeria, known for their hospitality and we are never going to lose that status in spite of provocations.
“All we demand from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is a transparent process through which Nigerians would freely make their choice.
“We advise all interest groups in the South-East, under whatever guise, to exercise restraint and not take actions that would lead to regrets in the future,” Okwu said