The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum( AYCF) has sounded a word of warning to “a political leader of the Southwest who has been engineering violence and arson in order to further his 2023 ambition”, if the killings were allowed to happen again.
The group said its independent investigation has revealed, “One Southwest politician and his associates have been fanning the embers of ethnic and regional hatred as well as igniting mindless and senseless violence, especially in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital”, stressing that “his dirty political game is up”.
The AYCF, in the statement signed by its National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, said the group condemns the violence, killings and arson in Ibadan but said that it was improper to punish the innocent majority because of the sins of a few criminals.
“Much as we condemn all crimes and criminals themselves, we cannot fathom why the action of a view criminals should justify any form of physical attack on the majority innocent citizens and their assets in any part of this country”, the statement said.
On the Southwest politician, which the group fingered as the arrowhead of the recent spate of senseless ethnic profiling and physical attack, the AYCF said: “All Nigerians are living witnesses to the role of the northern political elite in stabilizing the nation, using the democratic system of supporting the emergence of presidents outside the North. Our philosophy of self-denial does not mean we are not aware of our political strength.
“When the Southwest cried of marginalisation over the annulment of June 12 polls, which the late MKO Abiola was said to have won fair and square, the North rallied behind the Southwest, by giving their massive votes to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 and he served for eight years.
“The emergence of another president from the North, the late Umaru Musa Yaradua was short lived but the Northern Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) joined hands with Southern progressives to form the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) that helped paved the way for President Goodluck Jonathan from the South to continue as the nation’s leader.
“So, the North’s large heart in giving its total support for the emergence of political leadership outside the North should not be mistaken for weakness. We cannot be stampeded into surrendering power just because of one man’s blackmail to fuel his 2023 political ambition. The North is never such a weakling and let it be known that Northerners did their best in supporting the emergence of Presidents from outside the region not because of political blackmail or ethno-regional profiling”, the group noted.
The group also revealed its demand from the governors of the Northwest, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state to ensure that compensation is paid to the families of those killed and the survivors of the violent attacks