The pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has disclosed that it would establish a lobby team that would push the southeast region 2023 presidential bid.
The lobby team it was learnt would take up the task of reaching out to other zones in the country to negotiate the possibility and practicability of a Igbo presidency come the next general elections in the country.
This was made known on Thursday by the spokesman for the Ohanaeze, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, in an interview with The Punch, in response to the advice by the pan-Northern socio-political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum to the southeast leaders.
According to Ogbonnia, the South-East would soon start the process of reaching out to other parts of the country on the need to support the Igbo for the 2023 presidency.
The ACF National Chairman, Chief Audi Ogbeh, had earlier on Thursday while fielding questions from journalists shortly after members of the association paid a condolence visit to the Kaduna residence of the late ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Inuwa Wushishi (retd.), urged the South-East to set up a lobby team on the 2023 presidency.
Asked whether the ACF would support the South-East to produce the next president, he said the group was not a political party.
He, however, advised the Igbo to reach out to the North if it was desirous of producing the next president,
Ogbeh stated, “Everybody has a genuine quest for the 2023 presidency. Why not? Nobody is telling any part not to participate but lobby. That’s the only way to go in democracy.
“The ACF is not in the position to declare support for the South-East for the presidency but the ACF will show understanding. The South-East should set up a lobby team, go round, lobby and talk to people and you will be amazed what people will say.
“Everybody has case. They(South-East) have a case and a northerner who wants to run, will tell you he has a case too. When they(South-East) start discussion,this discussion will bring about understanding, not insolence in the media. People write a lot of nonsense in the media. No need. We want to be one country. So, we don’t want one section to be angry and another one happy.”
Ogbeh argued that rather than harassing the North, the Igbo should set up a lobby group to get the support of other zones.
Responding to Ogbeh’s statement, Ohanaeze Ndigbo hailed the advice of the ACF that South- East should set up lobbying team for 2023 presidency, to actualize the president of Igbo extraction.
Ogbonnia said the Igbo had supported all other regions to produce president and it behoves on Nigerians from other geopolitical zones to support Igbo to produce president in 2023 for Nigeria.
Ogbonnia said “coming to lobbying group that is good advice and I want to assure them that already the machinery is in motion to make sure that all segment of this country will support Igbo to produce president for Nigeria. Because we have been supporting others.
“We supported the North we supported the West we supported everybody including the South-South. We are saying that people should support us even as I am speaking it is lobbying and we will continue to lobby. So we have supported the North several times.
“Let’s put it this way – in 1959 Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, in 1979 we supported Shehu Shagari, in 1999 we supported Olusegun Obasanjo. We have supported everyone of them including Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. So this is the time for them to support us to produce the president of Nigeria as the co-owners.”
While the southeast demand for Igbo presidency in 2023 has gained traction and resonated across the region, it has also come under increased controversy and contention, particularly in the light of the Nnamdi Kanu/IPOB matrix. With some in the north asking the region to lobby other regions and even fearing the agitation for Biafra may derail it.
In January this year prominent politicians from the South-east met and resolved to unite across party lines to work for the emergence of Nigeria’s president of Igbo extraction in 2023.
The meeting took place under the auspices of South-east Political Leaders at Senator Orji Kalu’s Camp Neya country home in Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of Abia.
Aside from Kalu and Anyim, other eminent Igbo politicians at the meeting included former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekwerenmadu, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Hon Toby Okechukwu, Deputy Chief Whip and Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
Others were Sen. Michael Nnachi from Ebonyi, one-time Minister of State for Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Chuka Odom, former Speakers of Abia House of Assembly, Chief Stanley Ohajuruka and Mr Chikwendu Kalu, and National Chairman of the United Progressives Party, Chief Chekwas Okorie, amongst others.