The presidency and Northern Elders Forum (NEF) are at each others throats over a statement credited to the later, which it allegedly said Igbo should be allowed to secede.
In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant to the President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said it was “delusional arrogance ” for NEF “to publicly state terms and conditions for the existence of our nation”.
The statement reads: “Nigerians listen to elected leaders, not opinionated tin-gods who have no traction with any responsible group,” he said.
“Who gave them the right to ask for the exclusion, or expulsion of anyone, group or section of the country from the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
“The Nigerian government does not take guidance nor invitations from such groups – only from the Nigerian people who put governments in office.
“Any group can refer to themselves as ‘leaders’, but in Nigeria, if you have not been elected by Nigerians to a leadership role, then you are not – and the government certainly doesn’t recognise you as such.
“Like many other countries around the world, Nigeria is feeling the strain of the current period of volatility and uncertainty.
“Now is not the time to seek to exacerbate divisions amongst Nigerians. Rather, we call on all Nigerians to come together and work to overcome the challenges we face as one nation, one people.”
The presidential spokesperson posted a June 2021 video on his social media pages, in which the NEF spokesman said the Igbo should be allowed to secede from Nigeria if that is what they want, to buttress his position.
However, NEF through its spokesman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said the body did not issued such position instigating a section of the country to secede.
“It is baffling to see this unfair attribution from the Presidency, at a time when calm nerves are needed, and statesmanship should be on display.
“The Northern Elders Forum restates that it made no such release, and advises leaders to note the very sensitive times in which we live at the moment,” he noted.
