… Says North Central, Not South East Marginalized – CNG Spokesman

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Epko, on Friday fixed October 20, 2022 for hearing in the suit filed by the Coalition of Northern Groups, (CNG) seeking an order directing for a referendum to finally decide the fate of the troubled Nigerian union.

Announcing the adjournment, Justice Ekpo said it was to give 14 days to the Plaintiffs to amend their originating summons and another 14 days for the Defendants to file responses.

Earlier, the Court had granted applications by 16 groups seeking to be joined as Defendants in the suit bringing the number of Defendants to 20.

Speaking after the adjustment, Counsel to CNG, Barrister Sufiyanu Gambo Idris, said “What the plaintiff is asking for is the opportunity for all Nigerians to be given the chance whether they want to stay in Nigeria or not, which is their right and we are equally calling for that.

“We felt that by the provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, every citizen in an African country has the right to say he is no longer interested in remaining in that country, not just Nigeria.

“We felt with the development and our clients felt the right thing to do is to allow every citizen to decide whether she still wants to stay in Nigeria or not. If you want to stay, let him stay peacefully, and if you want to go, go peacefully,” he said.

On his part, Barr. Victor C. Onweremadu, who is representing the Igbo nation said the suit shall serve as a vehicle to address in particular, the marginalization of the South East by denying it the opportunity to produce the president of Nigeria.

He said that the South East is properly joined in matter because the court accepted the argument to join the region.

He said: “The referendum is only thing that can bring peace in this country. The Igbo nation have been marginalized so much. There is an unjust treatment to the Igbo people in this country. Igbo have suffered in this country.

“One of the injustices that I am always campaigning against is what is happening now. Since the coming of democracy in this country, almost every part of this country have produced a President, sometimes ruling for 8 years.

“The North has produced their own President, which is our dear President Muhammadu Buhari ruling us. Even our brother in the South South have had their own share in this democratic dispensation in Goodluck Jonathan. The South East is the only major tribe in Nigeria that has been denied the opportunity to rule Nigeria,” he said.

Reacting, one of the Defendants, the Spokesperson of the Group, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, countered the Igbo nation’s counsel, but expressed satisfaction at the way the process they initiated was inviting national attention.

Suleiman, however, it is the North Central and not the South East that suffers marginalization in that context.

“Since ours is a country in which no ethnic group, section, region or political zone can reasonably expect to dominate the others forever, and for the sake of fairness and justice, it becomes morally imperative to consider a formula that would ease tensions by involving every significant component of the Nigerian project.

“If eventually power does shift, and since we’re at this point talking about fairness, the first consideration should be to zones that have never enjoyed the opportunity of fielding candidates for the top offices since inception of this fourth republic.

“A quick check shows that the South West has fielded and produced a president from 1999 to 2007 and a vice president to serve from 2015 to 2023.

The South East has had three opportunities of fielding vice presidential candidates in APP, ANPP and PDP. The South-South has had two years of vice presidency and another six years of the presidency.

“The North East has fielded and produced a vice president from 1999 to 2007 and was given presidential ticket in 2019. The North West has had a president from 2007 to 2009, a vice president frome 2011 to 2015 and also the current president.

“If Nigerians wish to hear the truth therefore, they should be told that the North Central is the only geopolitical zone that has never been given the opportunity to field even a vice presidential candidate,” Suleiman said.