Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that blaming only the Igbo for their attempts to secede from Nigeria is unfair. He pointed out that each of the country’s three major ethnic groups has at some point sought separation. Obasanjo expressed his disappointment with those who claim that no Igbo individual can ascend to the presidency because of their involvement in the 1966 coup that disrupted the First Republic.
He emphasized that people from other regions have also attempted secession. This statement was made while he was addressing a 20-member delegation from the League of Northern Democrats, headed by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, at his presidential library in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Obasanjo recalled the North’s significant attempts to leave Nigeria, urging the need for Nigerians to reconsider their perspectives. He lamented the notion that past Igbo actions should bar them from political leadership, questioning the idea of one region being superior to another. He called for collective efforts to build a unified country.
He also mentioned that many Nigerians resonate with the concerns of the National League of Democrats and expressed his willingness to support the group if it adopted a national rather than a regional vision.