Tag: 2023 Presidency

  • Anyone contesting 2023 elections is putting his head in hot water – Tunde Bakare

    Anyone contesting 2023 elections is putting his head in hot water – Tunde Bakare

    The serving overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said anyone who decides to contest in the 2023 election, is putting his head inside hot water.

    Bakare stated this during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday night.

    The fiery cleric revealed that he and a group of Nigerians are building a formidable team, like a shadow cabinet, for the next administration.

    According to him, some members of the team are members of the current President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “Anyone plunging into the election in 2023 is just plunging his head inside hot water, and therefore you must go with a team and not go alone.

    “Very shortly, you will see the formidable team we’re presenting to the nation like a shadow cabinet, these are the men that would do it.

    “We are meeting right now. They don’t even understand what is about to hit the nation. It is going to hit it big time in a positive manner,” Bakare said.

  • I’ve Not Declared Interest in 2023 Presidential Race – Osinbajo

    I’ve Not Declared Interest in 2023 Presidential Race – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Monday said h, had not declared interest in the 2023 presidential race.

    Rather, he said, he was more focused on carrying out functions expected of him as Vice President, especially in tackling the nation’s security challenges and improving the economy.

    The Vice President made the clarification in the wake of the release of campaign style promotional videos, banners in the social media and even the deployment of political posters in some parts of the country, including the FCT and Kano, insinuating that he has joined the 2023 presidential race.

    Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a release said:

    “The Office of the Vice President is not in any way connected with the distribution and deployment of any 2023 political posters whether on the streets or in online videos, banners and the like on the Social Media. All these are simply needless distractions from the urgent tasks of governance needed in our country at this time.

    “Prof. Osinbajo has not declared any interest whatsoever in the 2023 election, but he is rather focused on working in his capacity as Vice President in the current administration to address all the compelling issues in the country and concerns of Nigerians, including finding effective and lasting solutions to the security challenges and working to further boost the economy.

    “Therefore, we ask that people desist from such publications while we all deal together with the challenges confronting us as Nigerians, and resolve them for the benefit of our people, and the enthronement of peace and prosperity in the land”.

  • 2023 Presidency; Nasarawa APC Stakeholders Will Speak With One Voice, speaker, tells Kogi people

    2023 Presidency; Nasarawa APC Stakeholders Will Speak With One Voice, speaker, tells Kogi people

    By Leo Nzwanke, Lafia

    Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi has said that stakeholders of the ruling All Progressive Congress, the APC in the state will meet, to take a common position and to speak with one voice in making choice of 2023 presidential candidate.

    Balarebe made the disclosure on Tuesday, at the Nasarawa state House of assembly, when Rt. Hon. Mathew Kolawole, the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly led other members on Governor Yahaya Bello 2023 presidency aspiration support visit to APC members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly.

    Balarabe Abdullahi said that the APC members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly have no doubt on the capacity of Gov. Bello to be the next president of the country come 2023, noting that the house always speak with one voice and will meet with critical stakeholders of the party in the state in order to take a common position on the matter.

    “We acknowledge the capacity of His Excellency, Gov. Yahaya Bello as he is one person that does not give chance on issue of insecurity because there would be no development without security.

    “We consider this visit as a moment of joy. We here in Nasarawa State House of Assembly always speak with one voice and always go in one direction.

    “We want to assure you that we in Nasarawa State will speak with one voice on the issue of 2023 presidency.

    “We have leaders whom we so much believe in them. We are going to share this your view with our leaders in order to speak with one voice,” the speaker said

    The speaker used the opportunity to commend President Muhammadu Buhari over his developmental strides across the states of the federation.

    Earlier, Mathew Kolawole, the Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly has solicited for the support of members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to enable Gov. Yahaya Bello succeed as the president of the country come 2023.

    Kolawole said that their desire to support Gov. Bello for president was due to his laudable achievements in Kogi in the area of security, education, youth and women inclusion in governance as well as empowerment, religious tolerance among others.

    “We are here to advocate, market our own, His Excellency, Gov. Yahaya Bello, the youngest and performing governor.

    “It is time, it is our turn for North Central to produce a president in 2023.

    “We members of the Kogi State House of Assembly has good and cordial working relationship with His Excellency which has brought the much needed development in the state,” he said

    The Kogi Speaker told members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly that they have passed a vote of confidence and made a resolution that Gov. Yahaya Bello should contest for president come 2023.

  • 2023: IBB Gives Criteria for Next Nigerian President

    2023: IBB Gives Criteria for Next Nigerian President

    Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), might have ruled out a former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, from the 2023 presidential run, because they would be in their 70s by the next election.

    Although IBB as Babangida is fondly called did not in any way mention their names as ineligible for the nation’s number one seat, he however suggested that individuals in their 60s should be the focus of Nigerians as potential presidential candidates in 2023.

    By the next general election in 2023, Atiku, who is 75 this year would be 77, while Tinubu, who marked an official 68th birthday in March, would have turned 70 years.

    Babangida, who himself will be 80 on August 17 this year, was confident that the nation is endowed with both human and natural resources, hinted at a few individuals, whom he said were in their 60s, had the capacity to become president and could effectively run the country.

    Speaking in a sneak preview of a two-part series of an exclusive interview to be aired on the Arise News, focusing on the State of the Nation, IBB said one of the reasons Nigeria has refused to progress and achieve the dreams of the founding fathers was because Nigerians no longer believed in the future of their own country.

    The former leader, who accused the Nigerian people of creating and at the same time, destroying their own country, identified bad leadership as yet a major reason for the socio-economic challenges facing Nigeria.

    Talking about the presidential hopefuls he had in mind, IBB said they were persons in their 6os with contacts across the nation and who had been traversing the geo-political zones marketing their acceptability and capacity.

    Specifically on the importance of leadership in nation-building and where he thought the likes of Atiku and Tinubu no longer fit the bill, IBB said: “If you get a good leadership that links with the people and tries to talk with the people; not talking on top of the people, then we would be okay.
    “I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person, who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with.

    “That is a person, who is very verse in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one, or two or three of such persons already in his sixties.”
    But when asked if the person could emerge victorious in the 2023 presidential election, the Minna-born former military leader said, “I believe so if we can get him.”

    Responding to a question on whether or not he still believed in the future of Nigeria, the former military president, who turns 80 on August 17, 2021, said: “I do believe in the future of Nigeria, but Nigerians don’t believe in the future of their country. They created and they destroyed.”

    Reiterating his belief in the future of Nigeria and urging Nigerians to remain patriotic, Babangida, who claimed to feeling good as he was about to turn 80 years, with gratitude to God for sparing his life, advised Nigerians to go for the person that has what it takes to transform the country when the time comes.

    IBB served as head of state between 1985 and 1993. Born in Niger State, he received military training in Nigeria, India, Great Britain, and the United States. He rose through the ranks and was known for his courage, having also played a major role in suppressing an attempted coup in 1976, when he walked into a rebel-held radio station unarmed.

    After Murtala Mohammed became the military head of state in 1975, Babangida joined his Supreme Military Council, and as military president after taking over power on August 27, 1985, he introduced economic policies such as the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), that altered the course of the nation and liberalise the economy.

    At 80 on the 17th, Babangida is one of the leaders like Muhammadu Buhari who have dominated Nigeria’s political space since 1966.

  • 2023: Restore peace before talking about presidency – Arewa Youths to Southern Govs

    2023: Restore peace before talking about presidency – Arewa Youths to Southern Govs

    Youths from the 19 Northern states and Abuja, under the auspices of Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) have urged the Southern states Governors’ Forum to first settle the agitation and impasse in their region before talking about the presidency in 2023.

    A communique issued by Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu, chairman of the forum at the end of their meeting, lamented that the Southern Governors were not concerned about how Nigeria would come out of the present predicament of insecurity and economic hardship but were only concerned about where the President would come from.

    The communique advised the governors to employ all available means to settle the problems ravaging their region before considering which region would produce the President come 2023.

    The participants noted that insecurity and self determination protests ongoing in the South should be resolved and tackled to give way for meaningful resolution of the challenges confronting the country.

    The communique expressed concern with the destruction of government facilities and killing of Nigerians.

    According to AYF, the resolution of the Governors is not only unconstitutional but detrimental to the cooperate existence of the country.

    The meeting noted that anybody that would come out for the presidency in 2023 either from the South or North must have the requisite leadership qualities to unite and ensure the progress of the country.

    The meeting expressed displeasure on the Southern governors rejection of the proposed 3% share of the oil revenue to the host community as recommended by the House of Representatives.

    AYF believed that most of the resolutions of the Southern governors are sentimental, stressing that a President could come from any region so long he would be able to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

  • I’m not interested in 2023 presidency – El-Rufai

    I’m not interested in 2023 presidency – El-Rufai

    Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has said on Saturday that he does not have any presidential ambition, contrary to widespread speculations in that regard.

    El-Rufai, who claimed to have “suffered presidential ambition suspicion for 15 years”, said at 62, he is too old lead Nigeria.

    Making the foregoing clarifications in an interview with the Pidgin Service of the BBC, the Kaduna State governor also explained the reason behind his decision to quietly withdraw his two children from a public school in Kaduna.

    He regretted that his purported ambition to become Nigeria’s president had caused some people to paint him in bad light, including calling him a Jihadist, just to keep him out of presidential race.

    He said that governing Kaduna State alone was telling on his age, not to talk of the entire country.

    He said he considered governing Nigeria as a job that is too much for a 62-year-old man.

    He said: “Look at me, look at my grey hair. If you see my picture when I was sworn in, my hair was very black, but look at how it has become.

    “This is a very difficult job, and that is just state governor, one state out of 36. A big one, yes; a difficult one, yes, but it is not the same as Nigeria.

    “Presidency of Nigeria is a very serious job; it is too much for a 62-year-old.”

    Asked if he is interested in the office of the Vice-President, he said: “I have not thought about it at all. I have said it that in the political system we have, after eight years of President Buhari, the presidency should go to the south.

    “I have been suffering this presidential ambition suspicion since 2006. I have suffered it for 15 years today, and I am sick and tired of it.

    “There are people that are out to paint me in a particular picture so that I will be out of the presidential race, but they don’t know that I am not in any race anywhere.

    “They have called me all sorts of names. They said I am a Hausa-Fulani irredentist; I am Jihadist and all that. Jihadist when? Where? I am not even an active member of any Islamic organisation.

    “I am Muslim, yes, a devout one. But I believe religion is private. Even here in this office, when it is time for prayer, I just excuse myself as if I am going to the restroom. I don’t ask anyone to come and pray with me, because we will all go into our graves separately.

    “Look around me as see; I am surrounded only by Muslims. This government is the only state government in this country that has at least people from 13 other states of the Federation as cabinet members.

    “One of the most influential persons in my life, one of my closest political associates is Pastor Tunde Bakare.

    “It was Pastor Tunde Bakare that actually introduced me to Buhari and CPC. I didn’t join the CPC because Buhari lives in Kaduna or he is a northerner.

    “So, if I am an Islamic Jihadist, why will Pastor Tunde Bakare be speaking to me?”

    ‘Why I withdrew my son from public school’
    El-Rufai also revealed that there was a plan by three groups of bandits to kidnap his son, Abubakar Sadiq, from Kaduna Capital School; a public school where he was enrolled in 2019.

    The governor said following the intelligence at his disposal, he had to withdraw the kid from the school so that he would not fall victim to kidnappers or expose his schoolmates to danger in the event of an attack by gunmen.

    The governor said he had also enrolled Sadiq’s younger sister, Nasrine, in the same school when she turned six years before the security situation in the state forced the family to withdraw the children temporarily.

    The two children are currently taught at home but go to the public school during the examination period.

    He said the kids would resume fully once the security situation in the state improves.

    His words: “My son and also my daughter are registered in the school because his (Sadiq’s) sister also clocked six and we registered her in the school.

    “But we had to temporarily withdraw them for the security of the school because we received a security report that three groups were planning to attack the school and kidnap my son.

    “I don’t think they (kidnappers) would have succeeded because there is enough security in the school to prevent them, but it would expose other pupils of the school to danger.

    “We didn’t know the kind of weapons they would have brought.

    “I had taken a stand against payment of ransom and we had reports that three groups were planning to kidnap my son from Capital School to see whether I would pay ransom or not if my son is kidnapped.”

    He said he was persuaded by the advice of security agencies to withdraw the kids for the time being.

    “Both Abubakar Sadiq and Nasrine will go back to the school when there is confidence that their attendance will not put the school at risk,” he added.

    Abubakar Sadiq was enrolled in the school by the governor in September 2019 in fulfillment of a promise he made in 2017 as a guest of Freedom Radio’s Hausa phone-in programme ‘Barka da War haka.’

    During the programme, he pledged to revamp public schools in the state and enroll his child in a public school upon turning six years.

    He told reporters moments after enrolling Abubakar Sadiq that it was a commitment that had been fulfilled.

    His words: “I made that commitment because I believe that it is only when all political leaders have their children in public schools that we will pay due attention to the quality of public education.

    “I went to a public school like this. In fact, the school I went to is not as good as this one, but here I am, because of the quality teaching I got.

    “My intention is to ensure that all our public schools offer quality education, and so we are encouraging all our senior public servants to send their children to public schools.

    “Once the public schools are improved to a point they are nearly as good as or even better than private schools, no one will waste his money taking his child to private school.”

  • 2023: We won’t oppose a Christian President – Islamic Group reveals

    2023: We won’t oppose a Christian President – Islamic Group reveals

    The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, on Monday assured that it would not oppose a Christian president in Nigeria.

    MURIC, an Islamic human rights organisation, made the remark while clarifying its call for the Southwest to produce a Muslim presidential candidate in 2023.

    The Islamic group had said 2023 was the right time for the Southwest to produce a Muslim presidential candidate. 

    The group said its demand is hinged on the condition that political parties zone the presidency to the South West.

    A statement signed by the body’s Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola , said it would not oppose a Christian presidential candidate if the position is zoned to any other zone.

    Stressing that its remark was misunderstood, MURIC explained that it would not undermine a Christian president if he respects the rights of Muslims across the country.

    The statement reads: “Some stakeholders have misunderstood our statement concerning our demand for a Yoruba Muslim president come 2023. They wrongly assume that we do not want a Christian president at all. That is not correct. We have therefore seen the need for us to clarify our statement.

    “Our true position is this. We want a Yoruba Muslim to be the next president if the presidency is zoned to the region by political parties. So there is a provision, and the keywords ‘if’. MURIC is not a fanatical group. We do not have a problem with a Christian president. This is a democracy and Nigeria is a multi-religious nation. So we are not opposed to a Christian emerging as president at any time so long as he respects the rights of Muslims.”

    MURIC, however, lamented that Christians dominate the leadership sphere in the Southwest.

    The body lamented that Christians dominate the civil service and education sector while Muslims enjoy the majority among artisans in the Southwest.

    “Our grouse is with the system in the South West. It is an open secret that Christians dominate the education sector in the South West.

    “That is why the civil service is fully in the hands of the Christians while the Muslims are an overwhelming majority among the artisans and traders in Yorubaland,” the statement added.

  • 2023 Presidency: Tinubu’s Political Associates Launch Campaign Movement In Ibadan

    2023 Presidency: Tinubu’s Political Associates Launch Campaign Movement In Ibadan

    By Williams Anuku Abuja

    Some political associates of former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu across the country, on Tuesday stormed Ibadan, the Oyo State capital to launch a campaign movement for him ahead of 2023 Presidency.

    The campaign movement, which was christened “The South West Agenda (SWAGA ’23)” was launched on Tuesday in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

    The loyalists of the former Governor said they decided to launch the campaign movement in a bid to support the candidature of the former Governor ahead of 2023 presidency.

    It could be recalled that these Tinubu’s political associates on Monday visited the palaces of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyeml 111 to seek the support of the monarchs for Tinubu candidature in 2023.

    Present at the launch included Senator Dayo Adeyeye who is the chairman of the planing committee, Senator Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi, Hon. Oyetunji Ojo, Hon. Bosun Oladele, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, Hon. Toba Oke, Hon. Deji Jakande, Hon. Gboyega Okegbemi and immediate past Secretary to Ondo State Government, Ifedayo Abegunde.

    Others are Hon. Suraj Adekunbi, Professor Abideen Olaiya and politicians from both the South and the Northern part of the country.

    Adeyeye in his welcome address maintained that 2023 election is already in the front burner of national discourse, stressing that Tinubu is the most experienced politicians in the country to succeed Buhari in 2023.

    According to him, “We are gathered here today to make our own contributions to the arduous and crucial task of helping to shape the future direction of our beloved country, Nigeria.

    “For the discerning mind, 2023 election is already in the front burner of national discourse. The discussion right now everywhere in the country is about what should and should not happen in 2023.That being the case, it is imperative that we should be part of these national discussion and activities.

    “In the South West, our cause is buoyed by the fact that we have someone in our midst who towers above other aspirants to this highly exalted office. He is a ready-made man for the job.

    “He is one of the most experienced politicians in the country today with a track record of unparalleled achievements in all facets of governance. He is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “A man of incandescent intelligence, unmatched courage and integrity. A leader of leaders with a tremendous gift of foresight. He has mentored and built men and women of substance in the current democratic dispensation than any other leader in the country. A man with a large heart who harbours no malice.”

  • 2023 Presidency:  Southeast chances in APC dismissed  by Northern Elder

    2023 Presidency: Southeast chances in APC dismissed by Northern Elder

    ..Say’s Igbos invested nothing in APC like Tinubu, Southwest


    By Gabriel, Udeh Kaduna

    First republic politician and former Special Adviser to late President Shehu Shagari on National Assembly Matters, Elders Tanko Yakasai has dismissed the popular opinions making round that the ruling All Progress Congress (APC) will zone Presidency to the South East in 2023.

    Making the revelation in an interview with our correspondent, Elder Tanko Yakasai also said that Governor Umehi led South East defectors have not invested anything in the APC as much as Tinubu and Southwest people who have spent all their times in the party for almost two terms.
    Elder Yakasai, who’s also the chairman of comatose Northern Elders Council (NEC) was reacting to the alleged defection of Governor Umehi to APC in anticipation that presidency will be zone to South East in 2023, and sincerity of the promise.

    Responding, the eders stateman said “On your question about the sincerity in zoning presidency to East, from what I red from Governor Wike of River State, is that Umehi did that in anticipation that APC will zone Presidency to Southeast, but I don’t see it happening that way because Umehi did not invest anything in APC as much as Tinubu did, and as much as Southwest people, who were there in APC for almost two terms now. 

    “For Umehi to think they can take away and deny the Southwest to produce the candidate in the coming election, despite South West contribution by way of votes and produce juganuts like Tinubu and the vice president Osinbajo, is laughable”, Yakasai He also Stated that “There are alot of people in the Southeast that are highly educated but when it comes to calculation, even the mathematicians among them, is found faulty politically.

    According to him, It’s a faulty arithmetic, anticipating APC to go to South East in 2023, adding that “You can’t harvest where did not sow. You didn’t sow anything, but at the time of harvest you begin to look for what to harvest. You didn’t put in anything there. This is the kind of political idiolat called political opportunism.

    He said why he’ll not advised to either way or not, “but I’ll make a statement that opportunist never succeed in politics. In  politics or anything situation, if your called opportunist, it’s a very bad term. It’s not a good complement at all.On agitation for Jonathan to come and do second term and handover to the north, Yakasai said the it’s not about handing over to the North, but to complete second term, is an entitlement of Jonathan from south in line with people’s Democratic party (PDP) zoning arrangements. 

    Tanko Yakasai also said, “Throughout history, power is not donated. Power is fought for. Poeple look for power either through persuasion or through conquests. You can’t seat down and think that people will donate power to your, particularly in a place like Nigeria, a federation of 36 states or accepted to be six geopolitical zones. “And to think the five zones will surrender their rights to you for whatever reasons, is impossible. “I always advised our friends, our compatriot from Southeast to seek power by reaching out to other part of country because power comes through balloting through elections. “People don’t vote on till they’re convinced and therefore you have to tell them why they should support you.

    Is never donated. And this is what happened. “Is something you fight for. What happened in 2015  was that a political party zoned the presidency to the north. That was its own policy.

    Even until today there are some political party that run their affairs on zoning. “Even though the zoning is only a gentleman agreement, it’s not Constitutional, it’s not legal. “Even when the presidency was zoned to the north in 1999, by PDP, when Obasanjo contested, some northerners contested. I remember, Abubakar Rimi contested.”So zoning is not legal”, he said.According to Yakasai, “Where a gentleman disagree with the agreement, there’s nothing you can do about it. You go the election and let the majority decide for it. 

    On whether north will cede power to them, if APC zone Presidency to the South, and Southeast contest in 2023, Yakasai said “I’m not a member of any political party and therefore not speaking on behalf of any party but, the point is that, most of the governors in the Southeast are PDP and one has defected to APC. “But they are in PDP, and PDP is running elections based on zoning even though the circumstances of the death of Yar’adua truncated the zoning arrangements.

    All the same, if Jonathan had succeeded in wining the second term, zoning could have been institutionalized in PDP, because Obasanjo did two terms and, if Yar’adua had done two terms, both southwest and northwest would not put up any candidate. “This is what people in the political parties, APC and PDP should try to institutionalised, make it their policy that their party should be running on the based on rotation or zoning. “This is what NPN did. It was running on the bases of rotation between north and south. When PDP came they wanted to do it between north and south but unfortunately Obasanjo disagree and so.

    “Politics is a gambling but don’t forget that the southsouth still has the right of zoning as adopted by PDP to complete two terms as Obasanjo did in the name of southwest.The quickest way to get power is for Easterners, the igbos, to support Jonathan from South-South to complete his second term and handover to Southeast, since southwest, northwest have completed their own based on the six geopolitical zones, and later to North East and central”, Yakasai stated

    RELATED POSTS:

    It’s too early to consider South-East for 2023 presidency – Rotimi Amaechi

    2023 Presidency: Yahaya Bello under pressure to contest says commissioner

    We’re ready for 2023 presidency- Ohanaeze

  • 2023 Presidency: South-East seeks North Central’s support

    2023 Presidency: South-East seeks North Central’s support

    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.