2023: Your Endorsement Of Yahaya Bello Personal – COSEYL Tackles Uwazurike
The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has distanced itself from a move by the Biafran Independent Movement (BIM) to back Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello on his presidential ambition.
Naija News understands that the COSEYL was reacting to a statement issued earlier by the President-General of the coalition, Goodluck Ibem. The statement had quoted the founder of BIM, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, as saying that youths from the region would support Bello to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023. Reacting in a statement released on Monday, May 2, COSEYL, said having an Igbo man as Nigeria’s next president is non-negotiable. It described Uwazurike’s endorsement of Governor Bello as personal, saying that he does not represent the group. The group stressed that it is the turn of the South-East to produce the next leader to take on the powerful seat. It lamented why Uwazuruike who is agitating for the actualization of Biafra would endorse Governor Bello who is from another region and geo-political zone. COSEYL insists that the number one political position should be occupied by a southeast man to allow for equity and fairness. The group stressed that the region had suffered marginalization enough. “2023 is the turn of the people of South-East geopolitical zone to produce the next president of Nigeria and it is not negotiable”, the statement added. COSEYL advised Uwazuruike to “continue with his Biafran movement struggle and leave the business and politics of the Nigerian state alone. Uwazuruike should know that he cannot serve two Masters at the same time. “There is no correlation between his group, the Nigerian state and the institution of the youths. He lacks the authority to speak on behalf of the youths and so what he said to Governor Yahaya Bello is purely his personal opinion on the presidency”.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News