THE Leader of Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) Shettima Yerima has attributed the quit notice issued by his group to the Igbo tribe in the North to the frequent calls for division by Nnamdi Kanu and his groups.
Yerima who disclosed this on Monday, in Lafia, during the zonal meeting of the Coalition, said that sometime in June, 2017, a group of prominent Northern leaders met with the group to take the position.
“On June 6th 2017, a group of leaders from the northern extraction came together, and after much deliberation on the situation in the country, we realised the need to make a statement on the activities of the Biafra in the country
“We cannot fold our hands to watch an individual hold this country to ransom, we can’t allow an individual insult our leaders and play over our sensibilities,” he said.
He explained that, although since the quit notice was issued, prominent Igbo leaders and big igbo organizations like Ohaneze which is the umbrella body of the Igbo have come up to dissociate themselves from Kanu’s activities.
He explained that the quit notice was a signal to Kanu and his group that Nigeria cannot be undermined by a single individual, and described him as a frustrated human being who is seeking political relevance.
Yerima, however said that, after due consultations, his group have decided to relax the notice and watch as events unfold as the October deadline elapses.
He described northerners as intelligent people against the notion that northerners are illiterate, and adviced youths in the north to shun violence.
He, however, appreciated Northern leaders such as the Sultan of Sokoto and the Governor of Borno state for their intervention on the quit notice, noting that the coalition is out to ensure that Nigeria remains united and not divided.
