By Peter Okolie
Ndi-Igbo United Forum (NUF), a socio-political organisation, has called on all political parties in the country to zone their presidential tickets to the South-East for the 2023 presidential poll.
President-General of the group, Chief Godson Ezenagu, made the appeal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha on Thursday.
Ezenagu said zoning the tickets would engender peace, tranquility and development in the country.
“The only agenda before the people of the South-East geo-political zone is to produce the next president of the country.
“It is wrong for anyone or any zone to think that the Igbo are not ready; Igbo politicians are qualified and positioned to transform the country for good,” he said.
He countered the assertion by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, that Igbo people could only attain the seat of power in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The president-general rather urged APC to canvass for more membership in the South-East and put behind the notion that it was only in the party that the peoples presidential ambition would be achieved.
“Not true, the Igbo are free to belong to any political party of their choice.
“I recall that under the principle of equity, natural justice and good conscience, Nigerians, in 1999, placated the South-West by presenting two presidential candidates from the zone.
“Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Nigerians also placated the South-South zone by giving massive support to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Since Nigerians are advocating for peace, tranquility, love and progress, we have to look back at the zoning system and allow the Igbo to produce the next president,” he said.
Ezenagu argued that zoning the presidential ticket would further make the agitations for Biafra in the South-East geo-political zone to fizzle out.
He, however, advised Igbo leaders and people to develop more interest in the national politics and work together to achieve the goal. (NAN)