By Oluwakemi Ishola
A political pressure group, Igbo for President Solidarity Congress (IPSC), has said the Igbo in the South East geo-political zone of Nigeria should be allowed to produce the next president for Nigeria in 2023 in a bid to sustain the indivisibility of the nation and build an egalitarian society that everybody will be proud to belong.
National President of the IPSC, Dr. Olukayode OshinAriyo, made the call at a press conference held at the Ibadan Press Centre of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, on Tuesday.
The Eze Ndigbo of Oyo State, Dr. Alex Anozie; Chief Paulinus Ugoeze-Anozie, who represented of Eze Ndigbo of Osun State, Ezekiel Onyejiekwe; President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo of Oyo State, Chief Ndidi Nzeako; Deputy Chairman, South East, IPSC, Rev (Dr.) Hellen Amuzie-James, were among the dignitaries that graced the occasion. They all said they attended the programme because they believe in the cause being championed by IPSC.
According to OshinAriyo, “As sons and daughters of Oduduwa, having iron cast faith in unity in diversity, believing that Nigeria was founded by consciousness of God, and trusting that Nigeria will bounce back to become just, peaceful and egalitarian nation free of wants, diseases, poverty, corruption and insecurity, hereby proclaim that for the sake of peace, unity, justice and equity, we wholeheartedly support Nigerian President of Igbo extraction come 2023.
“There must be a Memorandum of Undertaking between a man of woman of Igbo extraction presidential aspirant and the Yoruba leaders covenanting effective implementation of restructuring agenda as enunciated in the 2014 Confab report. A man or woman of Igbo extraction as Nigerian President will be a nationalist, cerebral leader with analytical minds to proffer surest solution to multi-dimensional socio-economic and political challenges, confronting Nigeria as a nation.
“We state emphatically and without self-contradiction that the Yoruba love the peace and prosperity that abound in Nigeria, therefore want to remain in the union. The Yoruba do not want to be president come 2023 general elections, having served a wholesale eight years as Nigerian President from 1999 to 2007, and by 2023 as Vice President for another eight years. Between 1999 and 2023, the North would have served as Nigerian President and Vice President for 20 years, South West for 16 years and South South for six years.
“In consonance with Federal Character Principle as entrenched in 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), commonsensical and conscientiously, power should rotate to South Eastern Zone of Nigeria. We humbly appeal to good people of Nigeria, the elder statesmen, registered political parties, political stakeholders and community/religious leaders to rally mass support for this noble agitation of power shift to South East zone in 2023, for equity, peace and justice. President Muhammadu Buhari, as a nationalist should write his name with inedible ink in the book of history by handing over power in 2023 to Igbo man or woman as Nigerian President.”
