A President of the Southeast extraction will ensure political balance and a sense of belonging to the region, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Prof George Obiozor, said yesterday. Nigeria, he added, must create a political equilibrium that accommodates all the regions. Obiozor pointed that it is only the Southeast that has not had a shot at the presidency since the return of democracy in 1999. Speaking on Channels Politics Today, he said the Southeast has qualified candidates who can perform if elected. The former Ambassador to the United States said history, the principle of fairness, morality and “all logical reasoning” justify the demand for an Igbo president. He was of the view that the Southeast was being accorded little or no significance in the sharing formulae and is usually placed last in all zonal allocations. Obiozor also made a case for state police, saying it was the surest way to solve the country’s security challenges. He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to use the prerogative of mercy and not force to resolve pending issues against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu. On Igbo President, the Ohanaeze President-General said: “It is important at this time in the history of Nigeria for each region to be given a sense of belonging for peace to reign. “We in Igboland are ready to give you candidates that are confident, with the capacity to perform. “We ask the nation to create a political balance that includes not just the South and North but the Eastern region of Nigeria.” According to Obiozor, every zone has produced a president; therefore, the prospect of Igboland being denied again will not be accepted. On the role of his organisation in producing a candidate, he said: “Ohanaeze will not be biased while selecting candidates. The country is gradually receding from nationalism. “We need someone to re-energise the nationalist spirit in Nigeria and the Igboland will produce one. “Man proposes and God disposes but by all logical reasoning and judging by history, it is high time Southeast produces the next president. “By history, logic, morality and politics, it is fair for the Igbos to produce the next president. “We can’t be revealing our strategies in the public space. We have our strategies and we are united enough to produce the president of Nigeria. “Our candidates will emerge from their parties, but anybody that emerges will do that nationalistically and we need somebody from the Igbo land to do that. “However, I can’t predict the Igbo president, but from all we can see, an Igbo should be the next president. It is our time to produce the next president.” On Kanu, Obiozor said it would not be the first time such a similar case would be resolved politically. “We have made our position known that we prefer political solution through dialogue. This is the answer to the issue. The Igbos are not in a war with Nigeria. “Mr. President has the prerogative of mercy to handle this matter. And we have made this statement several times. “It is public knowledge that similar treatment has been given to others in other parts of the country. “It is certain that, if the President can do this, it will douse the tension in the Southeast and the country at large. “But, if the President does not do this, he can handle the matter in any other way other than using force. “And as good citizens of Nigeria, we will love to meet the President again and again on this matter,” Obiozor said. He believes the security challenge in the Southeast was politically motivated, adding that the region used to be the most peaceful. He said: “Southeast was the most peaceful region until the political season crept in.” The Ohanaeze helmsman again called for state police, saying the present centralised policing system was inadequate. According to him, the Nigerian security challenge has been settled by the 2014 National Conference that recommended state police. “We will not solve this challenge until we do this (have state police). “It is not a luxury but a necessity that must be done and the earlier we do it, the better for us as a nation,” Obiozor added.

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has urged Nigerians not to be afraid of an Igbo presidency come 2023. Umahi made this call in Abakaliki, the state capital on Thursday during a reception organised for him after declaring his presidential bid in Abuja earlier in the week. The governor allayed fears making the rounds suggesting that any southeasterner who emerges president might split the nation. He argued that Igbos have investment everywhere across the country, saying it would be impossible to think of secession when in power. “Some enemies of the South East say if we become president we will divide the country; how will we divide the country when we have investments everywhere?” the governor questioned. Addressing the agitation for the actualisation of Biafra, Umahi said Ebonyi State will not take part in the struggle. “First and foremost, I have been saying it, if anybody tells you about Biafra, tell them Ebonyi State will never be part of Biafra. We are not Biafra. “We have been so oppressed and now we are finding our feet and you want us to go back? We will not. We will not,” the governor declared. According to him, Ebonyi is better in a fair and equitable Nigeria because the state has investments everywhere and one cannot set fire to his own house. He vowed that if he becomes president, he would further the projects of President Muhammadu Buhari and will fight the corruption in Nigeria to a standstill.

Dele Momodu, journalist and publisher of Ovation Magazine, says he has been preserved by God to become Nigeria’s president. Momodu said this on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television. Earlier, Momodu declared his 2023 presidential interest when he met with Ayorchia Ayu, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the party headquarters in Abuja. The publisher had contested for the 2011 presidential election under the platform of the National Conscience Party (NCP). Asked if he can withstand the influence of Atiku Abubakar and other PDP aspirants, Momodu said he is the biggest brand in Nigeria, adding that no aspirant has friends across party lines like him. The publisher said he has a huge followership among youths, which he described as the biggest political party, saying his party needs a youth-friendly candidate to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC). “I don’t like to sound immodest. There is no brand bigger than — brand Dele Momodu — in Nigeria. I’m not even talking about the party “I will be one of the few candidates similar to Chief Abiola who will have support across party lines. There is no individual who is relying only on his party who should feel comfortable about winning an election. I’m one of the few. “When I joined the PDP, my first assignment is to ask the young people to start registering online —iampdp.com — go and check how many people have registered “If you cannot drive out the youth, the biggest political party — the youth — I called the voters’ party, if a party ignores the voters and you want to defeat an incumbent party like APC, where they have people who don’t care about anything. “You must get, one, a candidate with a very clean record, no controversy. You must get a candidate who is youth-friendly. You must get a candidate who is cosmopolitan. “You must get a candidate who is friends with everybody but very firm who can speak truth to power. I have been speaking truth to power despite the fact that most of these guys are my friends. You hardly find such in any political party. Dele Momodu was preserved by God for that role.” When asked if he would leave the PDP if he did not get the ticket, he said he would support any candidate who emerges as the party’s standard-bearer.

Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC for making excuses as to why it cannot conduct its national convention as scheduled until certain conditions are met. Citing media reports which alleged that the convention could be shifted to June, Lukman, in a statement, yesterday, picked holes in the CECPC’s statement that it would conduct the convention after addressing some critical issues. He faulted claims that the CECPC was waiting for APC governors to decide on convention date, and lamented that failure to conduct the convention was hurting the party’s preparation for the 2023 general polls. He said: “Shortly following the news of the alleged postponement, the Secretary of the CECPC, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe issued a statement of rebuttal, calling on the general public to ‘completely disregard fake news on the reported suspension of the planned National Convention’. “The statement further informed the public that the CECPC ‘is already embarking on consultations with party stakeholders to prepare the ground for a rancour-free National Convention.’ Sadly, the statement, like previous ones from the CECPC didn’t announce any date and venue for the National Convention. Very disappointingly, the statement said ‘sub-committee on budgeting and other substructures will be set up in due course.’ “This is a slap on the faces of Nigerians and an insult on party members. How can a statement from ‘a focus-driven, process-oriented political party’, make such a scandalous statement allegedly assuring that a Convention is scheduled to hold in February without indicating the date and venue for the Convention? If subcommittees, whether for budget or anything are to be set up, to perhaps mobilise funds for the Convention, why are they not set up with just about two weeks to the end of January?” he queried. According to Lukman, it is now somehow difficult not to conclude that the CECPC is intentionally promoting speculations around the APC National Convention by claiming to embark on ‘consultations with party stakeholders to prepare the ground for a rancour-free National Convention.’ He recalled that on November 22, 2021, the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu led a delegation, which includes the CECPC Chairman, Mai Mala Buni, to President Muhammadu Buhari to finalise consultations on the date of the Convention. Immediately after the meeting with President Buhari, Bagudu announced the agreement reached with President Buhari to the effect that the Convention will hold in February 2022. “With such an agreement, the responsibility of the CECPC is to go ahead and start organising the Convention. Almost two months after, the CECPC has not issued any notice of the Convention to anyone. Not even the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which by the provision of the Electoral Act as amended is required to be given at least 21 days’ notice. It is very difficult not to conclude that both the Chairman and all members of the CECPC have no respect for President Buhari, which is responsible for why they are doing everything possible to sabotage decisions validly taken to hold the APC National Convention in February after consultation with the President. For whatever reasons, it would appear that the leadership of CECPC are enjoying all the public speculations maligning Governors and some other senior leaders of the party as working to stop the APC National Convention from holding in February 2022. This is most unfortunate. The truth must be told, the responsibility of organising the February 2022 APC National Convention rests squarely with the CECPC. At this point, it will be necessary to remind all members of the CECPC and by extension, all leaders of APC that part of the reasons that made it very necessary to dissolve the Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee, NWC, was the disrespect for leaders and members of the party, especially by Oshiomhole, the former National Chairman of the party. It was on record that during the tenure of Oshiomhole as National Chairman, the recommendations of party leaders and members were hardly considered. “The CECPC leadership have returned the party back to the mode of open disrespect for any recommendation given. It is even worse now given that the CECPC is ready to sacrifice the future of the party. Clearly, what is steering us in the face is that all the bad leadership records under Oshiomhole led NWC is about to be met and outstripped by the present CECPC.” “However, the first challenge now is to ensure that the CECPC has no option but to organise the APC National Convention in February 2022 as decided based on all the consultations that have taken place. The CECPC must be told that all consultations about organising the Convention ended with the meeting with President Buhari on November 22, 2021, and therefore the CECPC leadership should stop lying to Nigerians and APC members. The CECPC should also stop claiming that it is waiting for the meeting of Progressive Governors before it takes all the necessary decisions to commence the process of organising the Convention. Such a claim is not only dishonest but also taking the support of Progressive Governors for granted, which is why Progressive Governors have been reduced to punching bags of all party members regarding all the challenges facing the party.” “Largely on account of delaying the implementation of decisions to organise the February APC National Convention, there is hardly any internal party preparation for the 2023 electoral contest beyond individual leaders declaring their personal aspirations for offices. Without any prejudice to the aspirations of leaders, it is important that the party is able to set some minimum standards for the 2023 campaigns so that individual aspirants can orient their internal party mobilisation around those minimum standards. APC must not make the mistake of orientating its internal party mobilisation for the emergence of candidates for 2023 elections, especially Presidential Candidate only based on personality contest.