Stop grumbling over President Buhari’s certificate, prepare for 2023 – ARDI tells Igbo

The Executive Secretary, Anti-Corruption and Research-Based Data Initiative (ARDI), Chief Dennis Aghanya, has said that rather than focusing on the certificate of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Igbo should strategise ahead of the 2023 presidency.

Aghanya tasked the Igbo to desist from chasing shadow while others are chasing substance, even as he advised that the Igbo must not be seen as a rebellious people at every slightest development, even when it is not the region’s battle.

Aghanya’s call is a sequel to last week’s 2019 presidential election judgement in the presidential election of petition Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as its affects President Muhammadu Buhari’s academic certificate.

In a statement made available to our correspondent, in Abuja, Aghanya urged the Igbo to desist from self-destruction tendency by chasing after Buhari’s certificate but rather to strategise for the 2023 presidency.

Aghanya added that he became very worried with the development of things since the presidential election tribunal gave its judgement on the Buhari/Atiku case.

According to Aghanya, “all over the social media network, it has been my Igbo brothers at the forefront of the agitation for President Buhari’s certificate as if that would settle our political problem. This has kept me wondering what our priorities are politically and otherwise.

“Within the PDP fold, Governor Wike of Rivers State in his political wisdom, congratulated Mr President for his victory, while the home state of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, had been very peaceful since the judgement came. But the Igbo hit headlines of most media houses agitating against the judgement of the presidential election tribunal as if all our problems starts and ends with it. Most of our people have even turned it into a joke on social media and this is embarrassing,” Aghanya said.

Aghanya further said prior to his decision to function as an anti-corruption advocate, he was first and foremost an Igbo man and as such, must get worried when the Igbo are derailing.

Aghanya added: “If we keep quiet, it will affect some of us in the nearest future. The North and South West respectively are already strategising on how to outsmart each other to cling the country’s presidency in 2023, but here we are, occupying ourselves with the quest for President Buhari’s certificate.

“This is not good enough for us a component part of the Nigerian federation. There is competition amongst the various tribes and we must desist from chasing shadow while others are chasing substance. We must not be seen as rebellious people at every slightest development, even when it is not our battle. It is a total deviation from our value system of ‘live and let live.’ Let’s learn to mind our business and allow others to sort out their problems. This is my candid opinion as a Nigerian of Igbo extraction.”