2023: Give your presidential ticket to S’East, traders urge political parties

From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu

Clamour for the presidency to rotate to the South East in 2023 has received a boost as traders have called on political parties to elect their candidates from the geo-political zone.

The traders under the auspices of South East Amalgamated Markets Traders Association (SEAMATA), the umbrella union of traders in all markets in South East, and all traders of South East extraction doing business across the federation, urged the parties  to give the South East justice in the forthcoming general election.

In a communiqué signed by Gozie Akudolu and Alex Okwudili, president general and secretary general, respectively, of SEAMATA and issued in Enugu, the association urged its members to register and collect their voters’ cards to be able to vote during the election.

It called on all political parties in the country, in the interest of equity, justice, fairness, and balance of power to zone the ticket to the South East.

“Our members throughout the country should ensure that all members of their households who are 18 years and above are also registered.

“We encourage aspirants to the office of the president who are from the South East not to relent as we are mobilising full support for them from our members.

“To commend the groups from the South East and all the ethnic nationalities who are throwing their un-alloyed support for the president of South East extraction. Together, we shall succeed.

“To vote only for candidates of South East extraction with a track record of outstanding achievements in private and public service whose character and integrity is without blemish, whose performance in the office shall be the pride of every Igbo man.”

SEAMATA called on all persons of South East extraction, both at home and in the diaspora, to use all legitimate means within their powers to support and push for the all-important project, just as it appealed to their customers from other geo-political zones as well as party delegates to see the urgent need of collectively ending the marginalisation of the South East.

The association appealed to those still challenging the right of the South East to produce the president in 2023 to “have a cursory look at equity, justice and fairness and withdraw their aspiration for posterity to be fair to them.”