Funtua said the clamour by the region to get presidency may not be realized if they do not belong. 

The life patron of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN) said this on Saturday, January 4, 2019, when he appeared on a program, The Morning Show on Arise Television.

“If the Ibo wants to be president, then they must belong. If you don’t belong, then you can’t be the president. That is the issue and we have seen it with MKO Abiola of blessed memory. He went out of his way, he cultivated people,” he said.

Citing an example of inclusive politics, Funtua said the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola defeated Bashir Tofa in Kano because “he embraced everybody.”

He said, “You’re talking of politics, which is an issue of votes. My very good friend of blessed memory, MKO Abiola defeated Bashir Tofa in Kano. Was MKO Abiola from Kano? But he defeated Bashir in his own town Kano. Why? Because the man played politics, he embraced everybody.

“If you send him an invitation for anything, if he is not there, his representative will be there and he will play his part. You cannot sit down and say because you’re an Ibo man, there is no fairness.

“With due respect to the Igbo, they fail to understand that when the south-west chose to remain on their own as opposition, they did not go near the power. To a large extent, the north in terms of religion and culture are closer to the south-west than to the south-east. When Ekwueme contested (for the PDP ticket), Chief Olusegun Obasanjo defeated him.

“I know Nigerian politics, you chose your candidate who will be able to bring votes to you to win election, not on regional basis, not on tribal basis. Is he going to be the president of the North, East, South-west, South-south or whatever?

“If the Ibo wants to be president, then they must belong. If you don’t belong, then you can’t be the president.”

Funtua also accused the media of promoting the clamour for the Igbo presidency.