Senator Rochas Okorocha (APC/Imo West) has criticised Pastor Tunde Bakare for saying that the Igbo cannot govern Nigeria for now because they are under a curse.
Speaking on Tuesday at his office in Abuja when he received the national youth leader of the APC, Dayo Israel; Okorocha said the Igbo are an asset to Nigeria.
In a viral video, Bakare claimed he wanted to remove an alleged curse placed on the Igbo by Nigeria’s first prime minister Tafawa Balewa.
“Why should anyone in this country say the Igbo man cannot be president of Nigeria? I was at Imo State and I told them the reason why the Igbo cannot rule Nigeria and I want to remove the curse today,” he said.
“Do you know what happened? The day Tafawa Balewa was killed, they removed his turban, poured wine on his head, forced him to drink and shot him. In the process, he cursed them saying, ‘none of your tribe will ever rule Nigeria.’
“I want to break the curse today because this generation of Igbo was not part of those people. By the authority of God’s word, I reverse the curse of Tafawa Balewa over the Igbo generation. Henceforth, the Igbo will have access to the throne like any other Nigerian.”
Reacting to this, the former governor said, “When I listened to Bakare mention that the Igbo are cursed in the cause of his preaching, I think that is an overstatement and unwarranted preaching. I must state here categorically that Igbo are not cursed and they will never be cursed.
“They are peaceful and blessed Nigerians who are found in every nook and cranny of this country. They may not be good politicians, because of the kind of politics we play in Nigeria, but definitely, they are not cursed. Igbo are a great asset to this country. They are not the problem.”
Okorocha also asked the APC to ensure that the presidential ticket is ceded to the south-east.
