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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), has said that the North-East remains the most marginalised region with the claim that it has never produced a vice president.
CNG’s Spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, was reacting to a claim made by the Igbo Nation Lead Council, Victor Onwaremadu, who sought to join a suit on Biafra referendum, yesterday in Abuja.
However, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court adjourned hearing to October 20, 2022.
Onwaremadu had said: “The Igbo nation has been marginalized so much. Igbo has suffered in this country.
“One of the injustices that I am always campaigning for is what is happening now. Since the coming of democratic system in this country, almost very part of this country have their own President who ruled for 8 years.”
But Suleiman countered: “We also wish to say that contrary to what the Igbo lawyer just claimed, throughout this political dispensation, it is the North East that can be said to be truly marginalized.
“The North East has not had the opportunity to even field a vice president whereas the South-East that is over agitated about marginalization has had three opportunities for the vice presidency.
“The North-East has had a vice president and three opportunities to produce the president, the North-West has produced two presidents and a vice president.
“The South-South has produced a president and the South-West had produced a president and the current vice.
“We are hoping that at the conclusion of this suit and eventual conduct of a referendum as sought in the suit, all these issues would be put to rest.”
While elaborating on the suit, CNG’s Counsel, Barrister Sufiyanu Gambo Idris, said: “What the plaintiff is asking for the opportunity for all Nigerians to be given the chance whether they want to stay in Nigeria or not, which is their right and we are equally calling for that.
“We felt by the provisions of the African Chartered on human and people’s rights, every citizen in an African country has the right to say is no longer interested in remaining in that country, not just Nigeria.
“We felt with the development and our clients felt the right thing to do is to allow every citizen to decide whether she still wants to stay in Nigeria or not. If you want to stay, let him stay peacefully, and if you want to go, go peacefully.”
