Igbo elders and intellects led by renowned constitutional lawyer, Professor Ben Nwabueze, on Saturday, in Enugu declared that Ndigbo’s major desire was Nigeria to be restructured and not the 2023 presidency.
They also demanded the removal of the ban on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group seeking autonomy for the Igbo South-east.
The elders met under the umbrella of Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT).
Addressing journalists, Deputy National President of ILT, Professor Chinweite Ejike, stated that restructuring of Nigeria would ensure good governance, independent development, and healthy competition among the country’s federating units.
Ejike said: “What is the need asking for power in a disintegrated and disunited country being foisted on us by the day with the present system? What we are asking for and interested in is the restructuring of the country to usher in true federalism.
“With that, there will be less tension over leadership and people will no longer be bothered about where the leader is coming from or who the leader is.
“The way the country is structured, it is bound to continue to witness more frictions if it is not restructured. We need to restructure to attend true federalism and a good governance system based on rule of law.”
The ILT deputy leader added that the meeting reviewed the security situation in the country, especially the frequent killings in parts of the country and herdsmen/farmers clashes over control of land and resources.
He noted that the meeting observed that enough was not being done by the federal government to stop the killings and that intelligence gathering must be intensified to check the challenge.
“The killings in the country have assumed a genocidal dimension and unless the issue of proper protection is being addressed, the country is as good as assumed to be a failed state,” he added.
