Oluwatosin Enesi
Igboho made this appeal in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Sunday, responding to Shettima’s remarks about Badenoch following her critical comments on corruption in Nigeria.
Badenoch, who identifies as Yoruba, had also distanced herself from being categorised alongside northern Nigeria.
However, Igboho in a personally signed statement made available to newsmen on Sunday called on Tinubu to caution Shettima against launching verbal attacks on the leader of the British Conservative Party for emphasising her true identity as a member of Yoruba ethnic group and expressing her view on corruption, which had been the bane of development in the country.
The statement reads: “It is incumbent for President Bola Tinubu, who is also from Yoruba ethnic nationality and lineage to direct Shettima to face his duties as vice president rather than dissipate energy or engage in verbal war against Badenoch, who merely expressed her candid but true opinion on the pervasive corruption in the Nigeria’s system.
“When the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari was in power, nobody dared launch offensive or verbal attacks against his Fulani ethnic nationalities without being dealt with or muzzled through the instrumentality of the state or paid the supreme price.
“It is on record that because of my agitation against wanton destruction of farmlands in the South West and other parts of the country, killing of farmers and mindless sexual violations of their daughters, and wives by rampaging Fulani herders, which characterised Buhari’s administration, security agents on his order, stormed my residence in July 1, 2021, gruesomely shot dead two persons and arresting about 13 others.
“Majority of Nigerians are currently being subjected to harrowing experience, excruciating poverty due to harsh economic policies and bugged down by kidnapping and other forms of insecurity, but the Federal Government is still groping in the dark finding solutions. Instead of deploring measures to mitigate the suffering of the masses and frontally tackle the nation’s challenges, Vice President Kashim Shettima is busy taking on Badenoch.
“When has it become a sin for someone to express his or her opinion or say the obvious about how corruption has retarded the growth of Nigeria as a nation or proclaiming her true identity as a member of Yoruba ethnic divide. The Vice President should concentrate his energy on the performance of his duties rather than chasing shadow through his invectives on Kemi Badenoch.
“It is high time President Bola Tinubu called Shettima to order now to desist from needless verbal attacks and face his duties as the vice president of the country, “the statement concluded.
Our Reporter
