Senator Rochas Okorocha, the immediate past governor of Imo State has said that giving the presidency to the Igbo in 2023 would help foster national unity in the country.
According to Okorocha, given the fact that other geo-political zones in the country have produced presidents in the past, leaving only the Igbos or the South East as the only geo-political zone that hasn’t produced a president, it is fair and natural to allow the zone have a shot at the presidency in 2023.
Senator Okorocha who explained that in doing so, Nigeria would be building more national cohesion and unity, stressed that there abound in Iboland people and leaders with the requisite capability to address the challenges facing the country.
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Okorocha spoke to journalists in Bauchi shortly after receiving an award by the Tijjaniniya Islamic Sect during its Maulud celebration on Saturday.
He noted: “Presidency of Igbo extraction is rather to give everyone a sense of belonging…What I propose is a Nigerian president who will guarantee the unity of this nation, irrespective of religion or tribe, a Nigerian president who will alleviate poverty, a Nigerian president who will make education available and affordable for everybody.
“This is what we should be talking about more importantly. But the issue of having a president of Igbo extraction, for me, is more like a competition.
“The North has produced president, likewise the South-West and South-South. Let us see what Nigeria would look like when the South-East also produces a president.”
Okorocha, however, said ethnicity was not the main factor in producing the president. He stated.
“If you have a president and yet, the people are hungry and suffering, of what use is that? The presidency is not just about the title; it’s about doing the job.”
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He further added: “I am in Bauchi on the invitation of Sheik Usman Dahiru Bauchi, who invited me for this year’s Maulud. I was given an award as Sarkin Yakin Talakawa by the Tijjaniniya and also the Garkwuwan almajairi (Ambassador of almajirai), and I think it has to do with my passionate appeal that the lives of the almajirai should be made better in this country.”
