Prominent politicians from the South-East on Tuesday met and resolved to
\nunite across party lines to work for the emergence of Nigeria\u2019s
\npresident of Igbo extraction in 2023.<\/p>\n
They met under the auspices of South-East Political Leaders at Sen. Orji
\nKalu\u2019s Camp Neya country home in Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of
\nAbia.<\/p>\n
In a five-point communique issued at the end of the meeting, they
\nimplored \u201call the political parties to cede their presidential tickets
\nin the 2023 general election to the southeast.\u201d<\/p>\n
They opined that such gesture would be \u201cin the interest of justice,
\nequity and national unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
They resolved that the zone, \u201cwith substantial presence in every part of
\nthe country\u201d, would give bloc vote and full support to any of the two
\nmajor political parties that nominated their presidential candidates
\nfrom the zone.<\/p>\n
The communique, which was read to newsmen by the former Secretary to the
\nGovernment of the Federation, Sen. Pius Anyim, stated that a president
\nfrom the zone \u201cwill work to unite and develop every part of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch a president will be president of all Nigerians, irrespective of
\ntheir political, ethnic and religious backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also promised that such a president would ensure \u201cthat all citizens
\nand every part of the country is given a sense of belonging and treated
\nwith utmost sense of justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch was the dream of the founding fathers of this great nation,
\nwherefore they declared that \u2018though tribe and tongue may differ, in
\nbrotherhood we stand\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the same reason, they also committed to building a just nation,
\nwhere no man is oppressed so that Nigeria may be blessed with peace,
\nplenty and prosperity,\u201d the communique added.<\/p>\n
The group implored Nigerians across political, ethnic, religious and
\ngeopolitical divides to support the zone\u2019s aspiration in 2023 \u201cas a mark
\nof good faith and to promote justice and national harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n
It described such a support as vital \u201cin giving every part of the
\ncountry a sense of belonging and in promoting national unity and
\nsolidarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the loudest reassurance of equality of all parts and that the
\ncountry indeed belongs to all members of the Nigerian commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The political leaders restated their commitment to \u201cthe deepening of the
\nnation\u2019s democracy as the surest way to fast-track national development
\nand building an egalitarian society, where no man is oppressed for
\nreasons of class, ethnic, religious or political affiliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that aside from Kalu and Anyim,
\nother eminent Igbo politicians at the meeting included former Deputy
\nSenate President, Sen. Ike Ekwerenmadu, Rep. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Rep.
\nToby Okechukwu, Deputy Chief Whip and Deputy Minority Leader of the
\nHouse of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Others were Sen. Michael Nnachi from Ebonyi, one-time Minister of State
\nfor Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Chuka Odom, former
\nSpeakers of Abia House of Assembly, Chief Stanley Ohajuruka and Mr
\nChikwendu Kalu, and National Chairman of the United Progressives Party,
\nChief Chekwas Okorie, amongst others.<\/p>\n
In an opening remark, the convener of the meeting, Kalu, said the
\ngathering was intended to unite all the prominent politicians from the
\nzone and ensure the unity of purpose among them for the emergence of
\nNigeria\u2019s next president from the zone.<\/p>\n
He said that the meeting would help to disprove critics, \u201cwho believe
\nthat we cannot meet to discuss issues affecting us, especially our
\naspiration to produce Nigeria\u2019s president in 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others who spoke in a similar vein, including Ekwerenmadu, Anyim,
\nOnyejeocha, Okorie and Odom, were in unison that 2023 was the turn of
\nthe zone to produce the nation\u2019s president.<\/p>\n
They observed that the nation\u2019s presidency had rotated between the
\nnorthern and southern Nigeria and that the South-West and South-South
\nhad taken their turns for southern Nigeria.<\/p>\n
They, therefore, contended that \u201cthe southeast is the only zone in the
\nsouth that has yet to produce a president in the current democratic
\ndispensation. (NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prominent politicians from the South-East on Tuesday met and resolved to unite across party lines to work for the emergence of Nigeria\u2019s president of Igbo extraction in 2023. They met…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n