A former Governor of the old Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the North were against restructuring.
He said their resistance may affect the future of Nigeria, insisting that now is the best time to go back to regional system of government.
His words: “Former Vice President, Abubakar has come out to support restructuring. Even Ango Abdullahi is also in support. So, I don’t think we are in such a difficult situation now.
“It’s a matter of facing realities, hoping and praying to God, and taking the right decisions. I mean, what is the problem? Why is the North reluctant? Is it because the North is getting many advantages from the existing situation?
“The North has been resisting restructuring; the APC has been resisting restructuring. Even if I were in the APC, I would know what the interest of the country is and the interest of my own part of the country.”
”The issue is that time is running out on Nigeria. It is either we restructure now and survive or we don’t restructure and disintegrate. The restructuring is simple. It is not a matter of inventing new ideas or arrangements.
”What we call for is merely going back to Nigeria, as agreed by our founding fathers. That is what restructuring actually means.
”Nigeria was a truly federal system and it was made up of three regions as federating units: East, West and North. Later on, Mid-West was added, making four - three in the South and one in the North.”
Speaking on whether there will be war if the Federal Government does not comply with demands from the Igbo, Ezeife replied: “No, no. I don’t think that anybody in his right senses will go for war. War is out of it”
“Anybody who is talking about war doesn’t know what he is talking about and I don’t support anything violent. It’s an empty threat. Nigeria should be wise not to go to war. People who want us to have another civil war hate the country”, he told Punch.
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