Yoruba Nation arrowhead, Professor Banji Akintoye, says the north will continue to rule and dominate Nigeria regardless of whoever is in power as President.
He spoke from Benin Republic in an Interview on Tuesday.
Akintoye made the comments days after the Northern Elders Forum said the north would not play second fiddle in a nation where it clearly enjoys numerical strength to win presidential elections.
“We will lead Nigeria the way we have led Nigeria before whether we are President or Vice President, we will lead Nigeria. We have the majority of the votes and democracy says vote whom you want. “Why should we accept a second class position when we know we can buy a form and contest for first class and we will win?
“Why does anybody need to threaten us and intimidate us? We will get that power but be humble because power comes from God. We inherited the leadership and being honest is not being stupid. “The North has pride; we are humble enough to know that we are going to run Nigeria with other people but we are not going to play second fiddle to anybody. We may not have the most robust economy, there are people who are trying to strangulate us even more than we are being strangled.”
With the 2023 elections approaching, political permutations have been intense with many Nigerians including the 17 Southern governors demanding a President from Southern Nigeria to replace the incumbent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who is from Katsina State, North-West Nigeria.
Akintoye, a scholar and a Professor of History, said the north had always wanted to “conquer” the rest of the country. Though he did not make any direct reference to the statement credited to the NEF spokesman, Akintoye said, “Nigeria is no longer a country because of the dominance of one ethnic group over others”.
