The South East geo political zone is on the verge of losing out in the 2023 political calculus if ongoing political development in the country is anything to go by.
This was disclosed by a group, South East Vanguard For Good Governance, in a statement in Owerri and signed by its President, Fred Okenwa and Secretary, John Okolisa.
The group said the two leading political parties in the country, the All Progressive Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will not hand an Igbo its presidential tickets in the 2023 presidential election.
The group stated that this implies that the chances of an Igbo producing Nigeria’s President will be a mirage in 2023, as the two major political parties in the country will zone its presidential tickets to the North and South West respectively.
“The APC has shown clearly that it will not allow an Igbo to fly its Presidential ticket in 2023. The ongoing battle in the party is all about 2023 and Igbos are not in contention. “It is evidently clear that South East have no stake in the APC. The presidential ticket of the APC will dangle between the South West and the North.
“Already, Bola Tinubu, has not hidden his desire to contest for the presidential ticket of the party using the APC platform and all calculations point to the fact that he is well rooted in the party. Which Igbo man is grounded in the APC, to challenge Tinubu for the party’s presidential ticket when the chips are down?
“The APC is not grounded in the South East unlike in the South West where the entire zone is in the grip of the APC. Already, the odds are against the South East in the ruling party. We have never voted for the broom party since 2015.So, how would they concede its Presidential ticket to a zone which never voted for it in the last two general elections.
The Forum further stated that the PDP will not zone its Presidential ticket to the South East geo political zone.
Part of the statement reads “There are clearer indications that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, may pick the PDP presidential ticket again in 2023.
“If this happens, where does this leave the South East zone. As usual, we will play the second fiddle by either producing a running mate to one of the presidential candidates, possibly the PDP. If the Presidential ticket of the APC goes to the South West, certainly the South East cannot produce a running mate” the group stated.
