The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has urged the Southern Governors Forum to zone the 2023 presidency to the South-East in the interest of fair play and justice.
A spokesman for the organisation, Alex Ogbonnia, who said the group backed the southern governors’ position that the region should produce the president in 2023, noted that the South must be magnanimous in conceding the presidency to the South-East.
Recall that part of the resolutions of the southern governors after meeting in Lagos on Monday was that the zone should produce the next president.
“The forum reaffirms its commitment to the unity of Nigeria on the pillars of equity, fairness, justice, progress and peaceful coexistence between and amongst its people,” Chairman and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, said.
“The forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unanimously agreed that the Presidency of Nigeria be rotated between southern and northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the south”.
But Ogbonnia, on Monday night, while commending the governors, said there have been a gentleman agreement between rotation or alternation of the Presidency between the North and the South.
“However, in commending the southern governors for that resolution, Ohanaeze is urging them to be magnanimous in conceding to South-East the Presidency. The South-West had a shot the South-South had a shot; and in each occasion the Igbo gave them total support,” he said.
“So justice, equity and fairness will demand that they concede the Presidency to the South-East. So in thanking them, we are going step ahead to urge them to consider the South East to have a shot at the Presidency”.
