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Yoruba youths flay Abiola’s
support for IBB
FUNKE ODUWOLE
YORUBA
youths said yesterday that the reported declaration of Alhaji Mubashiru Abiola,
the younger brother to the late MKO Abiola, for the 2007 presidential bid of
former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), would not
constitute any electoral fortune for him.
They stated this just as they declared
that any Yoruba, traditional ruler who collects any gratification from IBB for
the realisation of his presidential bid, "does so at his own risk."
The youths under the auspices of National
Council of Yoruba Youths (NCYU) said these in a statement signed by their
chairman and secretary-general, Messrs. Kola Adejumobi and Timi Olajide,
respectively, and made available to Daily Champion in Lagos.
Describing as ridiculous and laughable the
support of Alhaji Abiola for IBB’s presidential ambition, the youths said "the
issue of June 12, 1993 presidential election annulment transcends a mere family
or even an ethnic issue."
According to them, the 1993 presidential
election symbolises the total and collective resolve of the generality of
Nigerians to leave together in peace irrespective of social, cultural political
and ethnic divides that exit in the country.
"Therefore, the issue of Abiola family
supporting Babangida out of 120 million Nigerians is of no value and shall not
constitute any electoral fortune of Babangida in anyway if at all it is true.
Commenting on the reported buy-over of
some Yoruba monarchs to support IBB’s presidential ambition, the group said: "Babasngida
should realise that Nigerians especially the Yoruba people are not that cheap
and would never be taken in by such settlement syndrome that characterised his
right years unpalatable rule in the country."
"Any monarch or supposed leader of thought
who collects such ‘settlement’ from the evil genius’ in Yorubaland, does so at
his own risk as the youths of this country whose future is more at stake in the
land, shall resist Babangida’s return as the nation’s President vehemently and
the selfish people who are promoting his candidature most of who are people of
shady character and even common criminals who are openly tried and convicted for
committing crime against the state and the generality of Nigerians.
"Finally, we are warning those who are
behind those moves to stop all things that can provoke violence in the land
because of their selfish motives as the youths of Yorubaland will not fold their
arms and watch the collective integrity of Yoruba people be brought into
disrepute just because of Babangida’s presidential ambition," the youths further
stated.
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