Okezie Ikpeazu, the Abia State governor, has said that the presidency for 2023 should be directed to the South-East, asserting that the Ndigbo have a vast understanding of the dynamics and diversity of Nigeria, arguably more than any other geopolitical region.
The governor met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to have talks on the momentous economic developments in Abia State. It was after this meeting that he took to the press to stress his convictions for a South-Eastern presidency. Ikpeazu brought to light the pan Nigerian nature of the Ndigbo, describing how they constantly invest and strive to flourish in whatever part of the country they move to.
He attributed this nature to the adventurous and industrious character of South Easterners. He even described the Sambisa Forest, which is the dread of Nigerians because it is home to Boko Haram terrorists, as a place the Igbos would dare to go and make money from resources there.
Interestingly, the governor noted that the direction of the presidency to the Igbos is a goal to be achieved through pragmatic deliberations, and not as a matter of right to the sit. He maintained that the leading political parties must begin to consider the desiring and motivations of the Southeast in selecting Presidential Candidates.
Speaking on whether he will run for the highest sit in the country. the governor made it clear that he has zero ambitions to run for the presidency in 2023.
He said: “I’m not interested in the presidency. I’m very busy as governor and thinking about what I will become now will amount to shortchanging my people who gave me a mandate for an initial four years and renewed it for another four years, terminating in May 2023. We are still in 2021 and it will be self-serving for me to begin to think about what I will become instead of concentrating on serving my people for the time they elected me. Maybe after 2023, I’ll begin to think about what next I’ll do.
“Having said that, I think that the South Easterners have a right to take a shot at the presidency of Nigeria and I dare say that our qualification starts from the fact that we understand and know Nigeria better than the other states of the country. We go everywhere, we are everywhere, we invest everywhere, we are pan-Nigerian people.
“However, the question of Nigeria’s president of Southeast extraction is a national question that requires negotiation, discussion, and conversation with all parts of this country and I am least qualified to determine what will happen in 2023. I also want to spend my time supporting the incumbent president to do his time and do his best while we wait for what happens to begin to unfold.”
Ikpeazu went on to describe the qualities of a selected candidate as one with a pan Nigerian mentality, who understands our differences and influences as a people; one who is pro-youth involvement; a women advocate who understands the dynamics of international politics and economy; and a fierce combatant of insecurity.
Meanwhile, there is already growing endorsement of Anyim Pius Anyim, former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), for the 2023 presidency. Southeastern voices who have been open canvassers for Anyim Pius Anyim include the former President of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara, and Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, both of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, among others.