The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, and the African Action Congress on Sunday faulted a statement credited to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election would guarantee South-West Presidency in 2023.

Osinbajo, who on Saturday went on a house-to-house campaign in Oyo, Oyo State, and held a 45-minute closed-door meeting with the Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.

“Yoruba have a lot to contribute to Nigeria for the 2019 elections. It is for us, Yoruba; if you understand, it is for us. We are not looking at 2019, but 2023. If we don’t get it now, it may take some time again,” Osinbajo had said.

But Afenifere’s spokesperson, Mr Yinka Odumakin, in an interview with one of our correspondents, wondered what the Yoruba people had gained since Osinbajo became Vice-President.

The Afenifere spokesman restated that in 2019, what the Yoruba wanted was restructuring of Nigeria by means of true federalism, Yoruba would only support a candidate with plans for restructuring.

“We have had an eight-year presidency. The Ijaw have had six years. The North have had more than everybody. But what is their lot? It’s poverty.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Sunday said Nigeria would continue to wallow in “abject socio-political, economic and developmental blindness until an Igbo man becomes the President.”

It said anything done in Nigeria without the active cooperation and participation of the lgbo would always crumble.

The spokesman for the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Uche Achi-Okpaga, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents while he was with Osinbajo that the South-West would produce the President in 2023 after President Buhari.

In buttressing his point, Achi-Okpaga listed former public office holders from the South-East who made positive impacts while serving the country.

“Take my word today, until an Igbo man leads, Nigeria will continue to wallow in abject socio-political, economic and developmental blindness. The late Prof Dora Akunyili was brought in and she did justice to NAFDAC’s perennial, protracted and seemingly intractable impasse.

“Prof. (Chukwuma) Soludo was brought in and he brought sanity into the banking system. Today, Nigerians can deposit their money and go to sleep with their eyes closed.

“Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was brought in and she spearheaded debt relief for Nigeria (already dismantled by the present administration.)

“You can attest to how Prof. (Onyebuchi) Chukwu, as Minister of Health, clinically dealt with the Ebola virus.