“Igbo Must Produce President in 2019” – Balarabe Musa Condemns Prolonged Marginalization of South East

First civilian governor of old Kaduna State and elder statesman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, on Saturday declared that it was time to end decades of injustice against Ndigbo by ensuring that the South East geo-political gets the Nigerian presidency in 2019.

 Speaking exclusively with The AUTHORITY in Kaduna, Musa who is also chairman Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), warned that the prolonged marginalisation of South East would bring disunity and other serious threats to the nation.

 Although, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) had zoned its 2019 presidential candidate to the North three years ahead of the polls, Musa calling on all political parties to zone its 2019 presidential candidates to the South. 

He advised the Southeast zone to stop ‘sit-and-wait’ approach but should be proactive in the struggle for power shift to Ndigbo who he described as being also competent to rule Nigeria. Musa faulted President Muhammadu Buhari for not appointing any person from South East into his kitchen cabinet, stressing that the present administration should rather heal the nation’s wounds than adding more salt to the injury which would not augur well with the country. According to him: “I am not happy the way South East zone is been marginalised for a long time. “Some said it was because of civil war but It happened for a long time and since then South East did not participate in any thing against the state. 

“Now it is high time to give South East chance to rule Nigeria just like other zones” ” I expected President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint some few South East people in his so-called kitchen cabinet but he did not and it was unfortunate. “The injustice meted against South East zone must be corrected because injustice brings grievances that may threaten the unity of this nation” Musa added: “I expect South East to produce credible presidential candidate which can emerge president of Nigeria in 2019 elections. “But I have observed that South East zone always give up so easily on struggle. You cannot sit and expect food on your table,you must work for it. “All political parties should zone their presidential candidates to South East to correct the long time injustice. “I strongly believe South East too has credible and patriotic people there just like other zones. 

What I know is that they should keep on the peaceful struggle for presidency. South East should not relent.” On the appointment of Mahmood Yakubu as INEC chairman, Musa said under normal circumstances South West should have produced the INEC chairman for sake of fairness. “To me, INEC chairman can come from any part of the country if the person is patriotic and competent for the job. But if fairness must apply South West zone has never produced INEC chairman”, he said