THE apex Igbo Socio-Cultural Organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has urged other parts of the country not to deny the South-East the presidency in 2023 because of the agitation for Biafra by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, saying such is lame and weak.
Noting that equity, justice, and fair play support zoning the top job to the Igbo, Ohanaeze National Publicity Secretary, Chief Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, in a chat with Vanguard, yesterday, said ceding the presidency to the Igbo will douse tension and create stability in the zone and by extension the country.
Ohanaeze spoke as the 2023 presidential campaign posters of Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum, Dave Umahi, flooded the social media, with a South-East All Progressives Congress, APC, group, demanding Igbo presidency.
Also, Northern communities in the South-East geo-political zone declared that peace would remain elusive to Nigeria until an Igbo man or woman is allowed to become President.
Meanwhile, former Chairman of the APC in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye has charged Ndigbo to indicate interest in the presidency.
Speaking on the issue, Ohanaeze said: ”Our position on Nigeria president of Igbo extraction is clear. It is the turn of the Igbo to produce the presidential candidates of major political parties so that ultimately, the next president of Nigeria will be an Igbo man. That is in response to equity, justice, fairness and also for the stability of the country. For the corporate existence of this country, we must recognise the need for that to be done. As a matter of fact, there was an agreement on that in 1998 and people have been observing that agreement.
”When some people say it is not in the constitution, whatever you find in the constitution there are two things about it: morality and legality. Morality is the unwritten or what you call the spirit of the constitution. Morals sometimes have to do with conscience.”
On comments that Igbo politicians are not aspiring, mobilising and reaching out to other parts of the country,Ogbonnia said: “They are rather saying that the Igbo aspirants are not extravagant like some others but we have people who can achieve results.”
On fears that the agitation for Biafra by the IPOB could hurt the Igbo quest to produce the president in 2023, Chief Ogbonnia said: ”Anybody who comes with that, comes with a lame and weak excuse. The Niger-Delta came with their own agitation and at a point they said to reduce the tension and agitation they zoned the vice president to the South-South, which led to the emergence of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as vice president, and he went on to become acting president and later president after President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua’s death.
”The Arewa people and Boko Haram also came with their agitation. President Jonathan said it was better for Nigeria to remain in existence than to struggle for the victory, and he relinquished power.
”After the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by late Chief MKO Abiola, the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, and South-West mounted an unprecedented agitation never witnessed in the history of the country. And they said, let’s settle them and all the presidential candidates were pushed to Yorubaland. Why should that of the Igbo be different? As much as Ohanaeze is not saying that it is a bargaining chip, nobody should use it to deny Igbo the presidency.
”As a matter of fact, if you zone the presidency to the Igbo, it will be easier for any Igbo to tell Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (IPOB Leader), ‘hold on, don’t go on this again.’ It is the greatest palliative whatsoever.”
