A former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has said the Southeast region is ready to kneel down and prostrate in a bid to lobby other regions of the country to consider politicians from the region as fit for purpose ahead of the 2023 presidential race.
The former governor who spoke at the United For Better Nigeria Initiative (UBNI) National Convention in Abuja, emphasised the need for a united Nigeria where everyone is carried along without discrimination.
Ezeife who said an Igbo man does not kneel down, stressed that this time the Southeast is ready and prepared to give their all including persuading others to ensure a candidate from the region emerge as President in 2023.
In his words: “It is not a matter of give us president, we don’t give, you have to work for it, the Igbo does not prostrate.
“The Igbo man does not keel down, but this time, we are prepared to kneel down to every part of Nigeria, every group, every ethnic group in Nigeria, we are prepared to even prostrate because we believe in this country.”
The former governor also said that Igbo people have proven to be instrumental to the development of the country, hence the need for the entire country to back the region to produce president in 2023.
Also speaking at the event, a former president of the senate and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Pius Anyim Pius said although the south-east is entitled to the presidential seat in 2023, it would have to persuade other regions for support.
Anyim, who recently declared his ambition to contest for the 2023 presidential ticket of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged the southeast to persuade other regions to support their bid.
In his words, “Is it right for the Southeast to produce the next president?, my answer is legally no, and the reason is that the constitution is clear, the constitution says every Nigerian of 40 years is entitled to aspire for that office.
“On the other side, morally is it right? is it an entitlement? I will say yes because the federal character principle enshrined in the constitution encourages rotation.
“The reason I have to make this clarification is that when the right you have is not legal, the only approach and the instrument you have is persuasion.
“So the approach, the language will be to persuade others to see reason with you that morally they should support you to take a turn since it rotates.”
