‘Only Igbos can deny themselves 2023 Presidency’

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress  (APC) and Director General of the Voice of Nigeria,  Osita Okechukwu has said that on the Igbo nation can deprived themselves of the 2023 presidency as they will surely real what they sow if they Vote against President Muhammad Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

Okechuku who was reacting to the statement of Ohaneze Ndigbo to the effect that 2023 Igbo presidency quest is a plot to hoodwink Ndigbo, said the leadership of the Igbo nation should rather put its house on order and organise themselves in preparation for a 2023 presidency rather than agonizing.

He said “May I once more appeal to the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo to start organizing for Nigeria president of Igbo extraction in 2023, instead of agonizing. It is surreal for the truism is that equity, natural justice and good conscience is on our side.

“All we need do as the needful is for the Ohaneze Ndigbo leadership to think out of the box, reflect deeply, and dust off ancient stereotypes and prejudices by voting for President Muhammadu Buhari. The realpolitik is that voting Buhari will better galvanize and strengthen our alliance with the North, more than voting for Atiku Abubakar. Buhari has a Vote-Bank of 10-12 million voters, mostly his core followership reflected in his bids in – 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 presidential elections.

“Is it not disheartening for the National Publicity Secretary, of Ohaneze Prince Uche Achi-Okpagha to agonize thus?  ”…….. Note that neither President Buhari nor any Northern political stalwart has made a prouncement on the 2023 presidency.  Instead they have allowed some cabinet members of Yoruba’s extraction, including Osinbajo and Fashola, to dissipate energy to the effect that South West would have presidency in 2023. It is an orchestrated plot to hoodwink the people of the two regions in order to elicit their votes”.

Okechukwu reminded the Ohaneze leadership of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha’s statement that the quickest and easiest means to the presidency for the south east is to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term.

He also reminded them that they can short circuit the period in terms of only having him there for another four years and whatever they do in 2019 will determine what will happen thereafter because politics is a game of numbers and it is like a cooperative society.

He said “Whatever you bring as an investment when dividends are going to be shared, you will get proportionate with your investment and your investment in politics is what you bring to the table and I urge the Southeast to look at this matter seriously that every time we have a presidency in Nigeria, it is negotiated in several ways. Either negotiated by votes or what you bring to the table and you must negotiate from the position of strength”.

While saying that the South East remain  the only geopolitical zone in the Southern Belt that has not presided over Nigeria from the Aso Villa, since the rotation of president between Northern and Southern Belts commenced in 1999. He said “2023 is our turn, unless we wittingly or unwittingly throw it away.

“Hence, it is my candid view that with such immeasurable equity, natural justice and good conscience on our side, 2023 president is Ndigbo’s turn; unless Ohaneze continues to agonize instead of organizing. The present rotation convention we mustn’t forget was in the first place, constructed to engender equity, peace and harmony of our dear nation. Let’s harvest it.

“One therefore appeals to Ohaneze leadership to place the core Igbo interest above partisanship and demagoguery; for the quickest and surest route to end the vexatious issue of marginalization and create a sense of belonging is 2023 president of Igbo extraction”.