As agitation for the 2023 presidential election heats up, the people of the southeast zone of the country have sought synergy with their brothers in states of the North Central to realize its ambition to produce the next president of Nigeria.
The South Easterners who converged on Makurdi, the Benue State capital in their numbers yesterday under the auspices of South-East and North-Central Forum, stressed the need for strong synergy with their neighboring brothers in the North Central to Win the presidency come 2023 election.
Commenting on the team of the press conference: ‘Strengthening regional relationship between South East and North Central Nigeria’, Chairman of the Forum, Hon. Afam Ezenwafor who doubles as chairman, Conference of South East APC House of Assembly said, it became necessary for them to come and extend their hand of fellowship to the people of the North Central to enable them successfully prosecute the 2023 project.
“We cannot do without the middle and the northcentral is in the middle. What is holding Nigeria together is the middlebelt. Our synergy with the north central will form a formidable force to win the race in 2023. The Northcentral is the fulcrum of this country.”
He maintained that his people, the Igbo see Nigeria as their business, and pledged that the southeast will not bring a bad product to sell to the people in 2023 but will put forward its best and sellable hands.
“Igbo people see Nigeria as their business and since they don’t ever want their business to crash, Nigeria will not crash in the hand of the Igbo. We are also aware that there’s need for us to bring a sound candidate and that we can assure you we will do because the destiny of this country lies in our hands.
While decrying the incessant herdsmen attacks on farmers of the northcentral zone of the country, Ezenwafor insisted that what the northcentral needs mostly now is security assuring that a southeastern president will provide that security.
“We need strong alliance from the northcentral with other regions to help the southeast actualize this dream. This alliance will also address the issue of insecurity occasioned by the farmer herdsmen conflict. The new relationship is for unity, he stated.
On his part, the convener of the Forum, George Ugwuja explained that the forum was put together by the conference of 2019 South East APC House of Assembly Candidates made up of all the candidates that ran for 2019 state assembly elections across all the south eastern states.
Ugwuja siad, part of the Forum’s major agenda in recent times is to demand for a Nigerian president of south eastern extraction, even as he added that they are counting on the support of the northcentral to produce a president that would improve on the economic and political spheres of the regions.
“That north central Nigeria will support south east Nigeria to achieve their quest for 2023 presidency, and “that the north central and south east are collaborating in a new political formation to confront all perceived political marginalization across the two zones,” among others, he stated.
The forum, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for implementing some projects in the south east and north central including the second Niger bridge and Eweto bridges, further pledged to continue to mount pressure on the government to maintain all federal roads connecting south east to north central including the otukpa to Obollo Afor road to improve economic activities most especially transportation of farm produce to larger markets.
In a key paper at the event, the host, Engr. Benjamin Iordye averred that ethnic minorities must be given a shot at the presidency through constituent and balanced rotation of power in the spirit of Fair Play, Justice, equity and equality.
