- Group tells Buhari to support Igbo presidency
The South-East should wait for another five years till 2027 to produce the president of Nigeria.
Chairman of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Technical Committee, Raymond Dokpesi, who stated this yesterday, said that waiting till 2027 would afford the North the opportunity to complete former President Umaru Musa Y’Ardua’s tenure, who died in office and was succeeded by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He maintained that Atiku, who hails from the North-East geo-political zone is the right person to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress.
The media mogul stated this in Umuahia at the Abia State Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), when he and members of the committee met party members to solicit support for Atiku’s 2023 presidential bid.
He said Atiku would serve only one term of four years from 2023, during which he would right the many wrongs in the country.
Dokpesi, who described President Muhammadu Buhari administration as a complete failure, said: “Nigeria is bleeding and on the brink of collapse. Although the South East is entitled to produce the president, they should wait for another four years from 2023.
Speaking, state Chairman of PDP, Dr. Asiforo Okere, recalled that the Abia chapter of the party supported Atiku during the party’s convention in 2018 and secured 74 per cent votes in the 2019 presidential election, adding that the gesture called for commendation.
He told members of the committee that their requests would be considered based on merit.
Dokpesi however, said failure to support the South East for the nation’s presidency would amount to injustice, adding that the greatest challenge of the country remained its unification.
He solicited support for a one-term presidency for the former Vice President.
He said if elected, Atiku would rule for a single term of four years, which would pave way for the South-East to produce the president in 2027.
Dokpesi said that the PDP zoning arrangement was not honoured during the 2015 presidential elections, and consequently, the party went into the election with a divided house and lost.
He assured all that the PDP had to give the North another chance to complete its fours years in the presidency to wrestle power from the APC in 2023.
He assured that the PDP would zone the presidency to the South-East and ensure that the zone produces the President in 2027.
He said, “Our party believes in rotation of the office of president between the North and South for two-term of eight years, according to the Nigerian constitution.
“That was why former President Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to Late Umaru Ya’Adua, but after his death, former President Goodluck Jonathan took over and completed his first term.
“Jonathan also asked for another four years which was given to him, but when he started asking for another term in 2015, the North felt it was against the zoning agreement of the party.
“So we went for into the election with a divided house and we lost. That is why we have reasoned that for us to wrestle power from APC we need a strong presidential candidate from the North
“Since it’s believed that North-East and South-East are the two geo-political zones that have not produced the president, we felt that Atiku, coming from the North-East is a strong candidate for the job”.
Dokpesi, former chairman of Daar Communications, says Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, will serve for one term if elected president in 2023, insisting that the former vice-president is the “surest” candidate to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election.
He said if elected president in 2023, Atiku will serve for a single four-year term, then work towards handing over to someone from the south-east in 2027.
“Atiku is the surest bet. He is the shortest cut to a south-east presidency. The truth is that he will be about 80 years then. We only need him to rescue Nigeria now,” he said.
“We are confronted with heavy challenges as a nation. Once we lay the foundation for restructuring and for pushing Nigeria forward, then he will exit. He is not coming because he is hungry but he has an agenda, and the agenda is Nigeria.
“We are in a grave situation in Nigeria. We need to unite. We need to take power from these impostors that have seized power and run Nigeria aground.
“Our party believes in rotation of the office of president between the north and south for two terms of eight years. That was why former President Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to late Umaru Yar’Adua, but after his death, former President Goodluck Jonathan took over and completed his first term.
“Jonathan also asked for another four years which was given to him, but when he started asking for another term in 2015, the north felt it was against the zoning agreement of the party.
“So, we went into the election with a divided house and we lost. That is why we have reasoned that for us to wrestle power from APC, we need a strong presidential candidate from the north.
“Since it is believed that the north-east and south-east are the two geo-political zones that have not produced a president, we felt that Atiku, coming from the north-east, is a strong candidate for the job.
“We must put forward a strategy and the strategy of winning. We are not soldiers; we cannot carry guns and chase APC away. So, we must calculate and ride on the back of who is that benevolent northerner for these remaining four years; four years I am saying because eight years would be passed by then.”
Dokpesi added that he will put his life on the line to ensure that a president of south-east extraction is elected president after Atiku serves a one-year term.
“If I’m alive till then, I will go naked in a one-man march if south-east is not given the presidency. I will put my life on the line. I will never be silent,” he said.
“It’s a matter of timing. Those clamouring for the southern presidency now are APC governors and they are doing so for selfish reasons. Buhari has never respected the equity provision in our constitution.”
Meanwhile, as consultations intensify towards the 2023 general elections, the Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONET) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and other Nigerians to support a president of Igbo extraction, especially from the South-East geo-political zone.
In a statement issued yesterday by Chairman of ACSONET, Chris Azor, he also commended Buhari for appointing Senator Margery Okadigbo, as Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and urged the President to support an Igbo president in 2023.
“We urge President Buhari to go a step further by supporting the emergence of a candidate of Igbo extraction as president of the country in the 2023 general elections,” he said.
Azor, who is also the Coordinator of the National Coalition on Improved Service Delivery (NACOISED), noted that the quest for a president of Igbo extraction intensified since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the date for the general elections in February 2023.
The group, therefore, backed the calls for other Nigerians to support the emergence of a president of Igbo extraction in 2023 for justice, equity, fairness and sustainable peace in the country.
