The Yoruba Commitment Forum (YCF) has frowned against the coup rumour by some northern military extraction against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying it as an afront against the Yoruba race.
The group in a statement signed by the Convener, Otunba Tayo Onayemi, Barr. Akeem Aponmade,
Secretary, Mrs. Buky Tunde Oshunrinde and Chief Olugbenga Oyewusi, and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, said it noted that it's surprised at the idea that anyone would entertain the thought that a democratically elected Nigerian government would be removed through unconstitutional means.
The statement titled, "Don't push us to the wall", reads, "we, of the Yoruba Commitment Forum, are greatly alarmed at the rumour that some army officers of Northern extraction were arrested for plotting a coup de tat and that their plan was to assassinate the President and the Vice President and topple the constitutionally and democratically elected government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria".
"The removal and replacement of service chiefs have refueled this speculation and is making Nigerians reason that the rumour may be true".
"Though, the federal government has denied the report, we strongly feel the need to make the following statements in the interest of our dear country and sustainability of its democratic practices".
"Our Forum seriously frowns at the very idea that anyone would even entertain the thought that a democratically elected Nigerian government would be removed through unconstitutional means".
"We note with serious concern that when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election, some individuals and groups, in a bid to stop his being sworn in, then openly called for a military takeover".
"They failed and rather than accept their fate, they have been unrelenting in pushing destructive narratives against PBAT since his first day in office".
"From the utterances of these individuals and groups, the only issue they have against this government is that PBAT is a Yoruba man. We therefore view such hatred as targeted not just at President Tinubu, but at the whole Yoruba race and it is completely unacceptable to our Forum".
"For the records, since 1966 till date, no Yoruba man has ever spearheaded an illegal overthrow of any government in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the Yoruba have always borne the brunt of reckless ambition, overzealousness and undue emasculation from other tribes in Nigeria".
"Since independence, the Yoruba have been made sacrificial lambs and their heroes have been clamped into prison for daring to aspire to the rulership of Nigeria. The Yoruba people have been traumatized for too long and our patience has been over stretched".
'The oppression suffered by our people, like some others, in the Nigerian Federation was the reason for the Yoruba nation agitation and if not for the Presidency of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we would have continued unrelentingly to seek the immediate realization of a free YORUBA Nation.
"With his emergence, we saw a ray of hope where all tribes can demand for and receive a fair treatment as co-owners of the Nigerian nation under a democratic system".
"We were hoping for a structured Nigeria where regionalism will be the pride of all. This government has taken some steps to gradually devolve powers from the overbearing center to the federating units, not to the special benefit of any group. This gave us a lot of hope. Unfortunately, it now seems that some evil minded people are bent on truncating that hope albeit by spilling of Yoruba blood again".
"Let it be known that no Yoruba son or daughter will accept any coup de tat in Nigeria. We hereby warn that should anything happen to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not traceable to a natural cause, Yoruba people will seize the opportunity not to be further part of the Nigerian set up because the confirmation would have been crystal clear that the Yoruba are not wanted anymore in Nigeria".
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