Constitutional lawyer and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) on Thursday came down hard on proponents of the agitation of Biafra Republic, saying they are doing so for selfish reasons.
Speaking in a chat with Daily Independent on why the agitation for Biafra became so serious after former president Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure, Sagay said those clamouring for Biafra are doing so in order to intimidate President Muhammadu Buhari into giving the Igbos positions they don’t deserve having rigged themselves out of contention in the present administration.
Describing the Igbos as die-hard loyalists of Jonathan, he said the Igbos who occupied 50 percent of federal positions in the country under the Jonathan administration resorted to rigging for the PDP in the last general elections.
According to him, having lost out due to their lack of principle, opportunism and rigging, the Igbos decided to resurrect Biafra as a ploy to negotiate with the federal government for appointments they don’t deserve.
“I have been studying elections very closely in this country since 2007. The Igbos were committed to Goodluck Jonathan. But they didn’t leave it at that just convince people to vote for him”.
“They decided to rig for PDP and Jonathan. They did that yet, the party still lost out at the federal level. So, they lost out”.
“If you look at Jonathan’s government, the Igbos were in almost 50 percent of positions in this country. But they lost out because of their rigging and opportunism and lack of principle”.
“And now they want to take it out on Buhari by resurrecting Biafra. They want to intimidate Buhari so much. They will now want to negotiate with them and start giving them things and positions they don’t deserve. That is intimidation and threat for no just cause”
“In summary, they rigged themselves out of contention in the present administration and they are not prepared to accept the consequence of their own actions” he said.