From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Ahead of next year’s general polls, Estate Developer in Abuja, Alexander Chukwuemeka Obiechina, has enjoined South East presidential aspirants on the platforms of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reflect on the wise counsel of Afenifere Leader, Ayo Adebanjo and start collaborating.
Obiechina noted that the caliber of people and galaxy of leaders that attended the recent Greater Nigeria Conference at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, showed that a lot of well meaning Nigerians are already identifying with the cause of zoning the 2023 Presidency to Southeast.
He said there is hope that the next president of Nigeria would come from Southeast, noting that the support from Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), MiddleBeslt Forums (MBF) and Afenifere has been remarkable.
Pa Adebanjo, had advised the presidential aspirants on the two major political parties to start talking to themselves in order not to play into the hands of those who do not want fairness and equity.
Pa Adebanjo noted that the number of Igbo presidential contenders shows that if Nigeria was actually looking for merit, the people of South East could produce Presidents till Kingdom, even as he urged the aspirants to work towards reducing their numbers on the two parties.
But, in an interaction with journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, Obiechina, who contested the Enugu PDP governorship primary in 2007 and 2011, said that Pa Adebanjo’s statement was of strategic importance to the realization of the dream of Southeast Presidency in 2023.
The PDP chieftain said instead of dissipating energies in the pursuit of individual aspirations, the Presidential aspirants in both APC and PDP should come together and know how to support the best candidates.
While ruling out consensus, he said the aspirants can carry out public opinion surveys to see how they compare among others and know whether to continue or support the frontline aspirants.
He commended Nzuko Umunna, the organisers of Greater Nigeria Conference, saying that the conference should be replicated in the northern geopolitical zones to achieve unanimity among the major parties to select their Presidential candidates from Southeast.
“With this kind of conversations, there would be understanding among Nigerians so as to repeat what happened in 1999, when two Yoruba Presidential candidates, Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae, stood election on two major platforms,” Obiechina stated.
He disclosed that it was based on his belief that zoning is a necessary principle to build social harmony that he rejected entreaties from stakeholders to join the Enugu State governorship race, pointing out that it was the turn of Enugu East Senatorial zone to produce Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s successor in 2023.