Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, is insisting that the 2023 presidential slot should go to the South-East to ensure peace, justice, fairness and sustainable national development in the country.
Obasanjo, who addressed members of Political Action Committee, PAC, of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who visited him at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, to solicit his support for the quest for a Nigerian President of South-East extraction, said the minimum Nigerians would accept is that the next president should come from the South.
Ime Obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo, at its meeting, last week, mandated its president general and the secretary to constitute a political committee to go around the country to solicit support for a president from the South-East.
The Ohanaeze team consists of Ambassador George Obiozor, the President General; Ambassador Okey Emuchay, the Secretary-General; former president generals of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, and Gary Igariwey.
Others are Professor Anya Anya, former Chairman, Police Service Commission, Simon Okeke, and Dr. Chiedozie Ogbonnia, the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
The former President, who commended Ohanaeze Ndigbo for demanding their rights, told the delegation that what he “owes Nigeria is sincerity, objectivity and guidance.”
He maintained the need for morality, equity and justice in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country like Nigeria, warning that “it is inconceivable to have peace and progress in a country that is rooted in injustice.”
Obasanjo said: “Federal character, rotation of power and such other measures are meant to help our nation-building process and more sure-footedly, move Nigeria forward” and warned that “riding over these measures rudely, shoddily and roughly cannot augur well for our nation-building process and progress.”
Similarly, former secretary to the Government of the Federation, Olu Falae, also threw his weight behind a South-East presidency, noting that it is the only zone that has not produced the president in recent times..
The former Minister of Finance said: “I expect that the South East will have a fair chance to ask for the president of Nigeria because in recent times the president has not come from the South-East. I said in recent times.
“For national unity and peace, yes, but the South East is not the only zone that has not produced the president in recent times. There are six zones now and in the recent past, the zones that have produced the president are the North-West, South-West and South-South.
“The North-Central, North-East and South-East have not produced president in the recent times, so there are three that have equal rights to ask for it if we want to be fair
“If we want to use North and South, then it’s two (North and South) I insist it must come from the South because the present president is from the North.
“However, if we are talking of zones within the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, then we cannot limit it. We must look at all the zones that have not produced the president.”
