2023 Presidency: Group Urges Parties To Back S’East
An advocacy group, the Nigeria Presidential Project, NPP, has urged political parties in the country to zone their 2023 presidential election tickets to the Southeast geopolitical zone.
The group made the call during the inauguration of its executive committee in Anambra state on Saturday in Awka.
NPP’s leader, Chief Walter Oji, argued that the demand was a just call that should be backed by all going by historical antecedents.
“For justice, equity and sense of belonging to appear to be extended to the people of the Southeast geopolitical zone, all well-meaning Nigerians must come out and publicly demonstrate their support for the Southeast to produce the next president, come 2023,” he said.
Oji, who insists that the people of south east would not back down on their quest to actualise the Igbo presidency in 2023, urged the south west and other regions to back the project. According to him, “Southwest should feel indebted to us. They should support this movement and not to work against it. They should always remember that Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidency rode on back of G34 which Chief Alex Ekwueme laboured for. Ekwueme’s presidential ambition was sacrificed on the altar of the June 12 political mistake.
The West was placated and recompensed.”
When asked how Southeasterners should navigate the political storm in the event of the emergence of persons from outside the Southeast zone, Oji stressed that every zone (except the southeast) had had their fair shot at Nigeria’s presidency since the return to civilian rule in 1999, adding “It is the turn of Southeast geopolitical zone to produce the next president of Nigeria and we are not going back on it. If Nigeria must postdate 2023, Southeast must produce president,” he added.
Spokesperson for the group, Mr. Tony Nwachukwu, explained that the NPP 2023 was a brainchild of 46 professors who had made extensive consultation across the six geopolitical zones of the federation on the feasibility of the 2023 Igbo presidential project.
“NPP23 has its structures established in the 36 states of the federation, alongside five international chapters in London, Berlin, Houston, New York and Germany,” Mr Nwachukwu said, stressing that the goal of the group was demand for adoption and sustenance of rotational presidency as a political culture in Nigeria.
The newly inaugurated executive of the group in Anambra has Chief Ifeanyi Ozigbo as chairman. Other members include Rtd Col. Chuba Ikeagwu, Mrs N. E. Igwenagu, Mr. Stephen Mbieli, Mr. Paul Okugba, Mrs Magdalene Okigbo, Miss Ijeoma Obiora, Evang. Chika Okpala, Mr Chika Iwudiba, Hon. Tony Okafor, and Barr. Uche Nwofor.
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