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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Elder statesmen from the South East, under the umbrella of Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, yesterday, alleged plots by major political parties to zone their presidential position in the 2023 poll elsewhere other than the South East.
They said they have also discovered that some Igbo sons and daughters are being used to fine-tune the plot, with a promise of being chosen as running mate to whoever emerges the presidential candidate in any of the major political parties.
Chairman of the forum, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, said the South East have unanimously taken a position on the matter, which was that they won’t accept any other position from any of the political parties, except the presidential ticket.
He said the Igbo elders have unequivocally maintained that any political party that doesn’t zone its presidential ticket to the South East won’t get votes from the region.
“We are waiting for them, as they will meet their political waterloo this time if they insist on shortchanging the South East this rare opportunity of producing a credible, patriotic, detribalised and dynamic president of Nigeria in 2023,” Ezeife said.
He assured that measures have been put in place to identify the people working against the political interest of the South East people saying they would incur the wrath of the people.
“Many distinguished Nigerians and associations from across the country have not only spoken the truth, but also demonstrated high level of integrity, courage, credibility and patriotism by joining the expanding clarion call that all political parties should zone the presidency to the South East in order to give people of the area a sense of belonging, as well as reverse all the premeditated government policies and actions that are capable of pushing out the Igbo out of Nigeria.
“We encourage visionary, credible and creative presidential materials of South East zone to declare their intension for presidency and pursue it with every sense of seriousness, vigour and commitment.
“We are very serious about this directive, and do not mean those unserious booth leakers, who are angling to be running mates to candidates from other parts of the country, as the Igbo will not take it lightly with any of our sons or daughters who accept to be running mates to any person outside the South East zone in 2023.
“It is either we are allowed to produce the president of this country in 2023 to change the appalling narrative of continued decay, poverty, insecurity, poor governance, corruption and maladministration in Nigeria or out of it.
“Nevertheless, serious sanctions will be visited on any Igbo man or woman that sabotages this noble and patriotic decision of our people to provide for Nigeria a credible, visionary and creative president.
“Legally, morally and strategically, it is the turn of the South East to produce the next president of the country as the other zones have been given the opportunity to serve Nigeria in that capacity.”
Ezeife said Nigeria would be the biggest beneficiary of a president of South East extraction and solicited support of other regions of the country for the cause.
“The unity of Nigeria will be better guaranteed if the South East is allowed to produce the next president of Nigeria in 2023 for the sake of justice, equity and fairness.”
He maintained that the 2023 presidential election is the best time to fully address the injustice, marginalisation and integration of the Igbo, as the presidency is expected to rotate to the north after eight years.
“Denying South East the opportunity of producing President of Nigeria in 2023 will not only aggravate the unprecedented separatist agitations across the country, but also amount to perpetuation of injustice, deprivation, discrimination and gross marginalization of the lgbos in Nigeria,” he added.
