Ijaw national leader, Edwin Clark, has accused the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, of ‘being afraid of speaking on the clamor for restructuring of the country, because of presidential ambition.
He said yesterday at a press conference in Abuja that the APC leader has been ‘keeping quiet’ on the issue owing to his 2023 presidential ambition.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state, has not officially declared intentions to vie for the 2023 presidency, but his associates have begun campaigns for him. He was one of the pro-democracy activists in the South-West and the country who started the campaign for restructuring in the country in the late 1990s.
But yesterday Ijaw leader, Clark said, “What several Nigerians want is the restructuring of the country to douse the tensions and agitations which is almost tearing the country apart today, and is the main cause of the high insecurity being experienced.”
“Nigerians are ready to accept the implementation of the 2014 National Conference, or the APC’s El-Rufai Committee Report, any of which will no doubt satisfy the generality of the Nigerian people.
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“The Tinubus who brought restructuring to the manifesto of APC have not spoken because they fear that if they do, they will not be allowed to contest for the presidency of the country, come 2023.
“We want to reiterate that we are more patriotic than those who do not believe in the restructuring of Nigeria, even though we are very well pleased to shame them because the majority of other Nigerians also believe in the restructuring of the country.
“We, however, wish to advise those minorities to follow us, the majority, as we mean well for the country.”
Clark also challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to convene a meeting of representatives of Nigeria to deliberate on the report submitted by the Nasir el-Rufai committee on restructuring.
