B y Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN – A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Mr. Clement Edo – Osagie has described the recent statement credited to the National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that his party will not participate in a government of national unity as proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan as unfair to the Yorubas.

Edo-Osagie who spoke to Vanguard in an interview in Benin weekend, said that the Yoruba people apart from being the forefront for the fight for Nigeria’s independence,  were also along with other progressive Nigerians fought for the enthronement of the present democracy in the country.

He described as very unfortunate the re-introduction of the extreme politics of tribalism, hatred, acrimony and bitterness by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) into Nigerian politics, saying that the ACN was not the competent voice to speak for the Yoruba nation.

According to him, “the leadership of the ACN cannot speak for the Yoruba people  as to whether to participate in a government of national unity or not. They are not the legitimate voices of the Yoruba nation. They are not the pan Yoruba cultural organization, the Afenifere or the Yoruba Council of Elders that have the competent voices to speak for the Yoruba nation”.

“The ACN as a party only have the mandate of three states, that is, Lagos, Oyo and Ogun where they won their election while the other states of Ekiti, Osun and Edo were awarded to them by the judiciary which is now under probe”.

While recalling that the Yorubas were denied of fielding their First eleven in the government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari in the Second Republic when the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo refused to join the government, he said it was the same thing in 1959 when the defunct Action Group (AG) opted to be in the opposition.

He therefore called on progressive forces in the South- West to ignore the ACN and served in the government of national unity if called on them to do so.