A temporary alliance of Arewa Youths have accused Yoruba leaders of paving way for Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to become Nigeria’s president.
The caucus in a statement signed by Muhammed Shehu and Tanko Abdullahi said the Yoruba leaders are out to harm the good reputation of the North in order for Osinbajo to become the president.
The duo said after the coalition’s meeting in Daura, Kastina state, the group has come to the conclusion that it will resist every plan of the Yoruba leaders.
The coalition said it will ensure that the Northern region completes its eight-year tenure irrespective of whatever happens. “We shall resist every of such plans and ensure by all means possible, that the north completes its eight-year tenure and possibly even continue after then, and that the federal structure of Nigeria as it currently is, is not tampered with by secession mongers and their collaborators,” the coalition said. The coalition which claims to speak for all the youth in the North said the Yoruba’s have proved to be the ‘most ungrateful stock in Nigeria’.
“Having given power to the Yoruba on a platter of gold in 1999 as a way of compensating them for the June 12 saga, it is quite worrisome and unfortunate that they have lived up to their legendary reputation of backstabbing and betrayal by supporting the divisive calls for restructuring or dismemberment of the nation against the will and desire of the north,” the statement said.
“We gave the late Chief MKO Abiola the mandate in 1993 but shortly after that, as it is with the Yoruba as a culture, they immediately started circling around Abiola plotting on how to emasculate the north and strip us of every access we had to the politics and economy of this nation.
“They had also raised a secret army of their elites to carry out these sinister plans against the north if Abiola eventually became president. It was this army that was unleashed on the nation in the guise of NADECO during the June 12 impasse.
We are pleased to remind the Yoruba that without the willingness and magnanimity of the north, there was no way Abiola could have purportedly won that election, and that all the Yoruba have now have assets in the south west, especially Lagos, were given to them by our leaders out of our own usual magnanimity. However, time and time again, the Yoruba have always turned their back on us whenever their support is needed.
They have chosen to pitch tent with the Igbo this time around just to spite us, but we shall not succumb to their antics,” the coalition added.
It was reported that the leader of another Arewa group, the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) Shettima Yerima has promised to turn himself in once appropriate security agencies declares him wanted.
Shettima reacting to reports that he had gone into hiding in Chad said: “I did not go into hiding and will never go into hiding. We need to put the record straight. For now, nobody is looking for me and I am ready to submit myself if I am called.
I am not a joker. “Nobody is looking for me and I am not hiding anywhere from anybody. I am a Nigerian, I am in my village. If anybody looks for me, I will humbly submit myself. I am not above the law so is every citizen of Nigeria. I am not on the run.” he said.
