Kawu Sumaila, a former aide of President Muhammadu Buhari, says the attacks in the south-east will hinder “right-thinking Nigerians” from supporting an Igbo presidential candidate in 2023.
Sumaila accused the elite in the south-east of not speaking out against the atrocities by gunmen in the region.
The former aide to the president on national assembly matters said unlike the elite in the south-east, the northern elite are condemning the attacks by bandits and Boko Haram in their region.
“The elites in the southeast should borrow a leaf from their northern counterparts such as Arewa consultative forum and Northern elders forum, who have been persistently condemning the activities of Boko Haram fighters and bandits in the north,” he said.
“You must clear your names or else, Nigerians will consider you culprits of all the killings and destruction in some southern states.
“Had it been, the northern elites supported the activities of the bandits, Boko Haram and other similar crimes in the north, the story would have been different by now.
“But they keep on condemning it and calling on the authorities concerned to take appropriate measures against the culprits for the peace to reign in the region.
“Not only the ACF and northern elders forum, if some political and cultural groups in the North can criticise President Buhari on certain national issues, why the southeast elites cannot condemn the attacks in public at least to show their innocence?
“With these atrocities committed by southeast people on record, how can Nigerians entrust them to govern them?
“I am sure not a single right thinking Nigerian will endanger his life to support the candidature of any southeast politician contesting for presidency come 2023 general elections.”
In recent times, the spate of violent attacks targeting security agents and government property has heightened in the south-east region of the country.
