From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Elders Council of the Ohaneze Ndigbo has berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) for failing to zone their 2023 presidential ticket to the South East.
The Igbo Elders, in a communique, at end of a crucial meeting, at the weekend, in Abuja, to appraise the state of the nation, said the action of the two major political parties was a betrayal of the the South East zone.
Chairman of the council, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who read the communique, noted that the council resolved to call for inclusion of rotation of Presidency on the basis of the six geo-political zones in the country’s constitution.
“We are terribly disappointed. We are disappointed that there seems to be a conspiracy by the two major political parties to deny Igbo the opportunity to produce a presidential candidate. The parties all agreed that zoning should be North and South, and Ohaneze believed that if it is coming to the South, since South West have gone, South South has gone, it is now our turn.
“Ohaneze did everything possible to convince the South West and convince the South South and they all agreed that it will be turn of South East. Their leaders, (Ayo) Adebanjo and Edwin Clark, all of them made press statements and confirmed that they support Igbo candidate, even the Middle Belt supported Igbo candidate.
“But unfortunately the political class took another decision. So, we feel terribly betrayed not by the elders but by this political people because we are sure that the elders in the whole South and Middle Belt supported Igbo candidature.
“So, it is our view, strong view that, this zoning should be put in the constitution and it should be rotated among the six geopolitical zone.”
Nevertheless, the Igbo elders, while stating that they were still observing unfolding developments in the various political parties, assured that the South East zone would participate massively in the 2023 general elections. They added that they would make their stance on the politics of 2023 known at the appropriate time.
The elders also condemned the spate of insecurity across the country and called on government to rise to the challenge. The elders, who observed a minute silence in honour of those who died in recent attack on the St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo, noted that it was worrisome that the entire country is now being ravaged by insecurity.