Former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe has warned the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari against alienating the South-West geopolitical zone.
He gave the advice in a Facebook post while weighing in on the controversy surrounding the launch of Amotekun.
Amotekun, the Western Nigeria Security Network, was launched by South-West governors and other prominent Yoruba leaders penultimate Thursday.
But the Federal Government through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami SAN, described the outfit as “illegal”. The AGF maintained that security remained the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government.
Reacting, Okupe, who was Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Jonathan on Public Affairs, said that the Buhari administration could not afford to make an enemy of the South-West.
The ex-presidential aide said that no government in Nigeria could alienate Yoruba people and survive for long.
He cited an example of the Jonathan administration that allegedly alienated the South-West and was booted out of office in 2015.
He recounted how a late prominent Northern elder, Ahmed Joda told him before the start of the Fourth Republic that the North would always carry the South-West along in the soon-to-be republic.
“After a lot of in-depth analysis, Alhaji Joda told me that in the north the political leaders have resolved that whatever will be the political consideration, the north will pursue, they will ensure that they carry along the southwest.
“I was astonished by this profound statement from this leader. But before I could ask him why, he continued in his slow but deliberate characteristic manner.
“He further retorted that they have observed that if the southwest is not included in any government in Nigeria or if the southwest goes against any government, usually the government does not stand or endure. Since their desire for the coming republic is for it to endure, they, the leaders in the North will ensure the southwest is deeply entrenched in the administration that will evolve in the coming republic. Chief Obasanjo later emerged as the President of the country in that Republic,” Okupe wrote.
He added, “The southwest is fairly well represented in the current administration. Extreme care and caution must, therefore, be taken to ensure that the issue of AMOTEKUN does not turn the southwest against this administration
“This is one issue on which over 95% of the southwest is unshakably UNITED.
“I was part and parcel of the Goodluck Jonathan’s government. The sour relationship of the southwest with that government, unfortunately, had (an) untoward effect on the tenure of that government.”
