Iwuayanwu: I Never Said Yorubas Are Political Rascals

*Says turn of Owerri to produce next Imo governor

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Several weeks after he was reprimanded for allegedly calling Yoruba political rascals, foremost Igbo leader and Chairman of Council of the Igbo sociocultural group, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuayanwu has denied ever referring to the Yoruba as such.  

Iwuayanwu, who made the clarification yesterday night while speaking on a Channels television stated that his statement at the height of political tension occasioned by the recently concluded general elections was manipulated by some persons for reasons best known to them.

Speaking on ‘Politics Today’, a Channels Television programme, the Igbo leader, who noted that he had had to assure his people in Lagos of their safety, maintained that the Igbos had never had problems with the Yoruba, amongst whom they have been living peacefully.

“When I spoke in Awka, I didn’t say Yoruba are political rascals, I never said it,” he said.

He recalled that at the time, Igbo in Lagos were worried about their investment in Lagos, saying, “most of them are afraid that they would be killed, their children were afraid of going to school because they are being threatened.

“So as a leader and one who has a very good relationship with the Yoruba and  haven established businesses in Lagos,” Iwuayanwu said he had to reassure his people of the safety of their lives and investments in Lagos.

“I have to arise and I told our people that I have been in touch with many Yoruba, I have businesses in Lagos, I am very close to Yoruba, I had a Yoruba director who work in my company and have relationship with many Yoruba.

“So, I told them not to worry that we have no problem with Yoruba at all but that those who are causing all these are political rascals. I didn’t say Yoruba. I am shocked that a man, a Nigerian would go and cut off my statement. If you read what was circulated all over the world I didn’t say that, I didn’t say Yoruba are political rascals, I said that those who are beating them,” he explained.

While noting that he had prevailed on Igbo not to bother, but remain in Lagos, because those causing the crisis were rascals, he regretted that somebody somewhere went to join his speech to make it look like he was referring to the Yoruba as political rascals.

On the forthcoming  governorship election in Imo State, Iwuayanwu who has been nominated as President General of Ohanaeze, disclosed that for fairness and equity,  Owerri zone ought to produce the next governor in November 2022.

According to him, the Owerri zone was the only zone that has yet to have its fair share of the principle of rotation in the state since in the 1990s, saying the principle of zoning was adopted in the state to give everyone a sense of belonging and avoid a situation, where one group dominated the others, adding that the principle also brought about stability.

“We are republican, even in the village we like to do things by zoning, we don’t want a situation where one group grabs everything. We want things to be done by zoning so that everyone has a sense of belonging and will feel happy,” he said.