Two groups which have been advocating for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction, the Igbo Leadership Development Foundation and New Generation Leadership Development Foundation have called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to shelve their presidential ambitions and support the South East in next year’s general election.
This was as the groups hailed the emergence of several Igbo sons on the political scene, seeking to take a shot at the presidency in 2023.
At a news conference Friday in Abuja, the groups encouraged other Igbo politicians to signify interests in their various political parties, but added that the race will not be complete without the involvement of a former Governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi.
This was part of the text of a communique presented to the media son Friday and signed by Dr Godwin Udibe, Dr Law Mefor as well as Messrs Onyebuchi Obeta and Chike Afoekelu.
“We are further motivated and delighted that our vigorous campaign for Nigeria’s president of South East Extraction has inspired some eminent sons of South East divide to signify interest to contest for the office of the President of Nigeria in 2023.
“There is however a foremost South East son that is most conspicuously missing in the fray and he is the former governor of Anambra State and former vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 Presidential Election, His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi.
“We make bold to say that this race will not be complete without Peter Obi. Our twin organizations believe his personality fits the conditions which have been set for aspirants like a glove. You will recall that we gave the conditions at an earlier Press Conference”, the group’s noted.
They also urged the All Progressives Congress APC and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP go some their presidnetial ticket to the South East.
They said; “Nigeria is now at crossroads and needs a strong leader who has integrity, competence, national visibility and acceptability. Only the deep can call to the deep.
“We shall in due course endorse one candidate, post PDP and APC Conventions.
“May we also use this opportunity to appeal to the two leading political parties namely the PDP and the APC, to complete their actions on rotation by zoning their presidential tickets to South and particularly to the South East, the only zone yet to produce the President of Nigeria since 1999, and indeed since after the civil war.
“The PDP particularly needs not to be reminded that they wrote the principle of rotation of presidential power between North and South Nigeria into their Constitution since 2009 and must obey their own rule to avoid litigation. By the way, may we also inform you that ILDF has made good its threat to go to court on the issue of rotation of presidential power and we are in the Federal High Court with the political parties on this subject matter.
“We will not end without advising and appealing to his Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to forget his perennial presidential ambition and support the South East that have supported him. We extend the same appeal to His Excellency Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Jagaban, and to any other aspirant from Southern part of the country, to also shelve their presidential ambition for the sake of southern solidarity and to support the South East that has always supported them…”
