Onyebuchi Ezigbo
Elders from the South East zone, under the auspices of the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum (IECF), has said that the Igbos will feel greatly marginalised and denied of their citizenship right if the presidency of the country eludes the Igbos in 2023 election.
The elders warned that Nigeria risks unimaginable social, economic and political consequences and that the Igbos may be forced to seek comfort outside of the country.
The council also warned against attempt to sabotage the Igbo interest by any Igbo politician, no matter how highly place, saying that the Igbo elders will publicly pronounce a curse on such a person and unborn generation.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, former governor of Anambra state and leaders of elders council, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, said that the group is aware of a conspiracy to again scheme the Igbos out of contention in their quest to produce the next president of Nigeria.
Ezeife lamented that the South-east had suffered exclusion under the present government which he said had tried hard to push the Igbos out of the country.
“And now we hear of conspiracy to negate the constitutional provisions of the parties, especially the PDP as far as zoning of offices and positions in it’s constitution is concessioned. We have been zoning and rotating the presidency and now that it is the turn of the Igbos, all kinds of things are being said.
“We do not want to leave this country as a matter of choice because one thing we reject totally is being slaves.
If the 2023 presidential election eludes us, we will take it that the rest of Nigeria has denied us citizenship right in Nigeria. We will be left with no choice than to look for how to find comfort outside Nigeria,” he said.
Ezeife said that Igbos have demonstrated interest in the country by investing their resources anywhere they live across the country, adding that there is no reason for them to denied producing the president of the country.
He said that Nigeria has for long tried to survive with the exclusion of one of the three tripod leg holding it to no avail, adding that the present government had excluded the entire South-east from the national security council since the present dispensation.
“Anywhere you go to, take the indigenes out, the next largest number is the Igbos from the South East. We have built up Nigeria, more than 65 percent of modern houses built in Nigeria are built by our people, “ he said.
Earlier the Secretary of the Council, Prof Charles Nwekeaku, read out the decision reached at a meeting of the Igbo Eiders jointly signed by him and Eziefe.
He said that the Igbos, “are demanding that all political parties in the country should zone the 2023 presidency to the South East not just for the sake of justice, equity and fairness, but also to permanently heal the wound of the civil war that has grossly marginalized the lebos in the country’s scheme of affairs”.
He said that Nigeria cannot afford to be changing the goal post at the middle of the game because of its unimaginable social, economic and political consequences.
“The Igbo Eiders met and discussed diligently some crucial national issues, including the toning of the 2023 Presidency to the South that have far reaching consequences on the stability. peace, unity, progress and development of Nigeria, and came up with following resolutions.
“That we maintain our unalloyed support for the demand of the Southern Governors Forum, the Southern and Middle Belt Forum, the Afenifere, the Niger Delta Forum, Ohaneze Worldwide among other credible stakeholders and organizations that all political parties in the country should zone the 2023 Presidency to the South, and possibly micro-zone it to the South East for the sake of justice, equity and fairness,” the statement added.
The group commended Chief Edwin K Clark, leader of the Southern/Middle Belt Forum and PANDEF, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afeefere. Dr. Butrus Porgu, leader of the Middle Belt Forum, and other prominent and patriotic Nigerians, for speaking the truth and making their position known publicly.
He said that the Igbo Elders want Nigerians and the whole world to note that the existence of Nigeria as a corporate entity may be seriously threatened by any attempt to deny the South, especially the South-east the opportunity to produce the next President in 2023.
The statement further reads: “We are totally against, in whatever guise and eloquence, the idea of another Northerner succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari, because it is a direct invitation for the aggravation of crises conflict separatist demands by various sections of the country, among other unimaginable violence.
“It has come to our notice that some of our sons and daughters are colluding shamelessly with some unreasonable and dishonest Nigerians to sabotage our collective efforts to produce the next president of Nigeria of the South-east extraction.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Elders Consultative Forum will not only pursue to a logical conclusion the sanctions of these shameless renegades and booth leakers, who accept to be running mates to any presidential candidate not from the South as well as those who are working hard to sabotage our efforts masquerading as coordinators and promoters of presidential aspirants outside the South East zone, but also curse them and their families publicly.
“ We want to appeal to other Nigerians to join Chief E. K. Clark, Chief Ayo Adebanja, Dr Pangu and other patriots to ensure that all political parties zone presidency to the South East not just for the sake of justice, equity and fairness, but also for the stability, progress, unity and suna of Nigeria as a corporate entity. “We encourage the presidential aspirants from the South East to remain resolute, persistent, focused, painstaking and close- ranks until victory is assured be Elders are with you and are prepared to work with you in liaison with Ohanaete World Wide and other patriotic Nigerians to ensure that the night thing is done, that is the emergence of Nigerian President of South East extraction in 2023.”
While defending the position of the South-east, Nwekeaku said that apart from Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the principles of Federal Character and quota system in whatever the government and its agencies do in order to give every part of the country a sense of belonging, the constitutions of major political parties in the country, including the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, provided for zoning system.
According to him, it was in keeping with this zoning principle that Senator Abdulahi Adamu and Senator lyochia Ayu emerged as the national chairman of the APC and the PDP, respectively.
He explained that the two political parties had zoned national chairmanship to North Central zone of the country.
