Amby Uneze
An elder statesman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu has called on the various political parties in the country to keep faith with the zoning arrangement by giving the South East the opportunity to emerge as president in 2023.
Iwuanyanwu, who spoke in Owerri, said that it is politically expedient for all the fives zones in the country to support the South-east to produce the next president in 2023 general elections.
Having contributed immensely in human capital development, socio- economic and political development as well as infrastructural development of the country, Iwuanyanwu said that South-east supported the other zones in their bid to produce the president of this country and they all succeeded and wondered why it would be the turn of the South-east, that the clock would be reversed anti-clock wise.
He said that the founding fathers of the nation maintained the tenets and principle of the regional system of North, East and West in the distribution of power sharing and advised that the system which is based on equity, fairness and accommodation should be maintained this time we have six zones in the country.
Iwuanyanwu, who is also the Chairman of Council of Elders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, called on the ruling party and other political parties that have not held their congresses to elect a South easterner as their presidential candidates in the spirit of justice and fairness. He said that at the end of the congresses, Nigerians will elect who amongst them is the best candidate.
The philanthropist, who had at several meetings and fora maintained that it is the turn of South-east to produce the president of Nigeria in 2023 general elections, commented some patriotic Nigerians who have been supporting the clamour for Nigeria’s president of Igbo extraction.
He expressed gratitude to the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the leader of South-South Elders Forum Chief Edwin Clark, the leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the fiery Catholic Bishop, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai and many others who have insisted that justice and equity should be maintained by allowing the South-east to produce the president.
Iwuanyanwu described these Nigerians as heroes and heroines of a new Nigeria where justice, truth and equity will prevail as a supreme virtue.
He disagreed with those who are of the opinion that the South-east should wait till 2027 and maintained that the South-east should have its slot in 2023 while those people should have theirs in 2027.
