Joe Igboekwe asks Igbos to decide what they want as they cannot be asking for power and secession at the same time

SPECIAL adviser to the Lagos State governor on drainage and water resources Joe Igboekwe has challenged Nigeria's Igbos to decide what they want from 2023 as they cannot be requesting power on one hand and be chanting secession on the other.

On June 7, Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held its presidential primary elections in Abuja and the former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Tinubu emerged the winner of the contest. A Muslim from the southwest geo-political zone, Asiwaju Tinubu is now looking to pick a northern Christian as his running mate, with the northeast favoured to get the slot.

With jostling in full flow, the southeast zone of the party has set its sight on the positions of senate president and secretary to the government of the federation if Asiwaju Tinubu wins the 2023 general elections. While this is going on, however, there are still large numbers of Igbos who want to secede from Nigeria and create an independent nation called Biafra.

Responding to these mixed messages, Mr Igboekwe has asked southeast leaders to decide what they want ahead of the 2023 general elections. He said they should choose between actualising Biafra, the presidency, the secretary to the government of the federation or the senate president.

Mr Igboekwe said southeast leaders should be definite about the positions they want, as prior to Asiwaju Tinubu becoming a presidential candidate, Igbo leaders had clamoured for a southeast presidency. As things stand, the presidential candidates of Nigeria's two main parties are not Igbo.

Challenging Igbo leaders on Facebook, Mr Igboekwe wrote: “Leaders of the Igbo nation must collectively and clearly bring their thoughts together to say what we want. We want the secretary to the federal government, and senate president. We want Biafra too. What do we want as critical stakeholders in Nigeria?”