'After Jonathan’s second term, it would be Igbo man’s turn'

BY GABRIEL EWEPU
ABUJA- AS 2015 general elections draw closer, an Igbo social group, Supreme Igbo Security Council, SISC, under the auspices of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Wednesday, had joined others to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election in 2015 general elections and that after Jonathan’s second term, it would be turn of an Igbo man to rule Nigeria as president.

The endorsement by SISC was made at a world press conference held in Abuja, where the President, SISC, Bobby Ukadike, in an address said Mr. President as every other Nigerian elected has the constitutional right to seek re-election, therefore should be allowed to go for a second term in office.

Ukadike stated that those who ruled before Mr. President from the North and West did two terms in office, and that they should understand it was not yet their turns to contest for the position of President in the 2015 general election.

Okadike:“We in Supreme Igbo Security Council, SISC, want to tell Nigerians that since the independence of this country in October 1960, which is 53 years ago, the North had ruled Nigeria for 40 years, while the South West ruled Nigeria for almost 12 years.

“Therefore it is not the turn of the North to rule Nigeria now, and it is not the turn of the South West also to rule Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan should be allowed to do his second term. Moreover he is still giving the dividends of democracy and promising more to Nigerians despite the security challenges and insurgency in the North.”

Meanwhile, Okadike maintained that after Mr. President’s second term in office in 2019, it would be the turn of an Igbo man to become the next President of the country. He alleged that the Igbos had not been treated fairly in national issues and for a long time had not been allowed to produce a President despite their enormous contributions to national development.

“It is the turn of Ndigbo to produce the next President of Nigeria in 2020 immediately after President Jonathan’s second term in office. And that an Igbo man succeeds President Jonathan is a must.

“That if the Igbos are not giving their fair turn to produce the President of Nigeria immediately after President Jonathan’s second term in office, then we will come to an inevitable conclusion that the Igbos are not wanted in Nigeria and then the unavoidable consequences will be everyone to his tent, because we have endured enough. This is our final resolution and it is not negotiable,” says Okadike.

On the current security challenges in the North East, the organisation also called on the Boko Haram sect to lay down their arms and dialogue with the federal government and end the blood-bath in the region.