Former All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Charles Udeogaranya, has mentioned that former navy Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s latest clarification relating to the January 1966 coup d’état will pave the best way for a Southeast president within the 2027 normal elections.
Udeogaranya, mentioned this in a press release he launched on the weekend, amidst rising requires nationwide therapeutic and political inclusion for the Igbo individuals.
Udeogaranya’s remarks comply with Babangida’s latest intervention through the launch of his e book, “A Journey in Service,” the place he explicitly acknowledged that the 1966 coup shouldn’t be attributed solely to the Igbo, a long-standing narrative that has contributed to the area’s political marginalisation.
He burdened that the coup’s main goal was to restructure Nigeria and was not pushed by ethnic sentiments.Babangida famous that Main Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, usually labeled because the coup’s chief, was “Igbo in identify” however had a broader nationalistic imaginative and prescient.
The 1966 coup, which resulted within the deaths of a number of distinguished Northern and Western politicians, has been a contentious subject in Nigerian historical past. The notion that the coup was an “Igbo affair” has been used to justify the exclusion of Igbo candidates from the presidency for many years, contributing to deep-seated grievances and a way of injustice throughout the Southeast area.
This historic backdrop has fueled calls from socio-cultural organizations like Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who’ve demanded an apology from the Federal Authorities for many years of perceived humiliation and exclusion.
Udeogaranya, a recognized Zikist, welcomed Babangida’s clarification, stating that it “renders all lies in opposition to Ndigbo null and void and finally clears the best way for the emergence of a Nigerian President of Igbo descent in 2027.”He argued that equity and nationwide unity demand that the presidency be zoned to the South-East within the nextelection cycle.
“These packs of lies fabricated in opposition to the Igbo individuals have been designed to disclaim Ndigbo the best to preside over Nigeria. That is the aftermath of 5 a long time of Nigerian management with out an Igbo president,” Udeogaranya mentioned.
“IBB’s revelation renders all lies in opposition to Ndigbo null and void and finally clears the best way for the emergence of a Nigerian President of Igbo descent in 2027.”
He additional urged the three main political events—APC, Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP), and Labour Get together—to appoint Igbo candidates for the 2027 presidential election.
“That is essential for pressing nationwide therapeutic and to set Nigeria again on the trail of financial development, quite than the continued wrestle for a share of the nationwide cake,” he mentioned.
Udeogaranya’s name aligns with latest calls for from the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which has known as on President Bola Tinubu to subject an official apology and supply ₦10 trillion in compensation forhistorical injustices stemming from the 1966 coup and the next Nigerian Civil Conflict.
Ohanaeze argues that Babangida’s revelations spotlight the necessity to tackle lengthy standing grievances and promote inclusivity in Nigeria’s political panorama.
