‘I no sure say Tinubu go win dat election’ – Prof Akintoye

Leader of di Umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, IOO, Prof. Banji Akintoye don tell BBC say di decision of Northern govnors to back di ruling All Progressives Congress, APC presidential flagbearer Bola Tinubu dey “suspicious”.

Prof. Akintoye wey tok inside exclusive interview for Benin Republic dey react to di emergence of Tinubu, wey be Yoruba pesin as di flagbearer of di party, as well as oda issues.

According to am, plenty tins dey happun for politics and na only pipo wey sabi am fit detect wetin dey happun.

While di prof no tok clearly weda im group go support Tinubu or not, e say “we no go throway am. Na one of us.

“If Tinubu eventually win, e no mean say dem go allow am work. Tinubu no go be di first Yoruba pesin to become president. No need to deceive ourself.

“Dem don conclude plan to rig di presidential election. I no sure say Tinubu go win dat election.

“My only prayer be say make God protect am.”

‘Our lives bin dey under threat’

Prof Akintoye also claim say dem bin get informate say plan dey to treat dem, (Pipo wey dey agitate for a Toruba Nation) like Sunday Adeyemo, wey pipo sabi as Sunday Igboho, di Yoruba Nation agitator.

Sunday Igboho na activist wey commot to call for a ‘Yoruba Nation’ before dem arrest and later release am for Benin Republic.

E say na to avoid dat kain tin, make all di leaders wey dey agitate to independence of di region run comot from Nigeria go hide for Benin.

“We bin know say our life dey under threat as we we continue our agitations.

We believe say for us to achieve our aim, we need to dey far away from pipo wey dey chase us.

Na why we come Benin and inside dis kontri, we dey wit our kinsmen and family members,” e tok.

Di leader of di group add say dem don reach point wia notin fit stop dem from achieving dia dream again.

‘We still dey fight for a Yoruba nation’

Di dream of achieving a Yoruba Nation still dey alive, di leader of di self-determination group tok.

E say di group still dey champion independence of South western states from Nigeria.

“Our decision to comot from Nigeria go happun without war or bloodshed. We go comot in peace.

We dey take am one step at a time up till wen e go reach wen federal goment go say dem wan negotiate wit us,” Prof Akintoye tok.

Prof Akintoye say im bin no know Sunday Igboho.

E say na pipo call im attention to Igboho as pesin wey dey agitate on behalf of Yoruba pipo.

“Sunday carry beta tin for mind for our pipo and dat na why I believe say dem dey pursue am .

“Sunday Igboho na wise man and na gift to Yoruba nation. As court for Benin Republic grant am bail we tell am to remain for di kontri.

Wetin constitution tok about request for independence?

Under di Nigerian Constitution, no part of Nigeria get di power to form dia own independent goment or ‘secede’ wey mean separate from di kontri. In fact, di word ‘secede’ no dey di Constitution.

Part of di 1999 Nigeria constitution wey capture dis mata dey for Article 2, “Nigeria na one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state wey go dey known by di name of di Federal Republic of Nigeria”. E mean say di only legal way to get di option to separate na through di amendment of di law.

Di only territory wey don comot from Nigeria na di Bakassi peninsula. Dis na because of di territorial disagreement between Nigeria and Cameroon and di International Court of Justice for 2006 rule say di area belong to Cameroon. However, di origin of di dispute na from pre-independence deliberations. So, e no fall under di constitution wey no allow secession.

Di only real attempt to break Nigeria na di Civil War wey happun for 1967-1970.