Ohanaeze youths urge Buhari to pick next SGF from South-East

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The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to pick the next Secretary to the Government of the Federation from the South-East to correct the perceived marginalisation of the Igbo.


The Ndigbo youth group also endorsed the emergence of a Senate President from the North-East, as proposed by the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

President-General of the group, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, spoke in a statement on Friday.

He said, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council demands from Presidency the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as the rightful means of re-writing the past mistakes of perceived marginalisation of the Igbo in the first tenure of the Buhari presidency.

“We are also supporting the Senate Presidency to go to the North-East as we expect the North-East to relinquish the office of SGF to the South-East.  We have eminent personalities from the region who are qualified for the job. The Presidency should allow its appointments to reflect the principle of federal character as the position of the SFG will heal the injustice of the past and unite Nigeria as one.”

Isiguzoro also disclosed plans by the group to storm the National Assembly to persuade lawmakers from the South-East not to elect any unpopular candidates into the leadership of the 9th Assembly.

According to the group, an unpopular candidate will make the 9th Assembly ineffective.


He stated, “The leadership of Ohanaeze youth council will storm the National Assembly soonest to persuade Igbo lawmakers to take destiny in their hands and resist any attempt by external factors to impose on them unpopular candidates for the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.

“The independence of the legislature remains the hope of Nigerians. Any imposed leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives will turn the 9th Assembly to a rubber stamp and will make them impotent in checkmating the excesses of the Executive arm of the government.”

Besides, the group faulted the statement credited to the National President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, that the North would present a better presidential candidate in 2023. The group said such statement showed that Shettima was playing out the script of the Northern Elders Forum.