A former Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has said that the South-East was ready to kneel down, even prostrate and beg in order to get the opportunity to become Nigeria’s President come 2023.
Ezeife said this at the United for Better Nigeria Initiative National Convention in Abuja on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the elder statesman said it was the right time for Ndigbo to produce the next President of the country.
He, however, pointed out that Presidency is not given to anyone but people have to work and show that they really merit the position.
Ezeife noted that one of the ways to put a South Easterner in power come 2023 was for the region to swallow its pride and start begging every other region for the presidential seat.
“So I found Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and other groups in this place talking about the need for federal character. If you do it that way, there will be unity, if there is fairness, equity, justice, you will have unity and progress,” he said.
“In the absence of those, you see where we are now. It is not a matter of to give us president, we don’t give, you have to work for it, the Igbo does not prostrate.
“The Igbo man does not kneel down but this time, we are prepared to kneel down to every part of Nigeria, every group, every ethnic group in Nigeria, we are prepared to even prostrate because we believe in this country.”
Also, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, said that the South-East was ready to beg in order to clinch the presidential seat in 2023.
Anyim said it was neither a right nor was it legal for the southeast to demand presidency.
The former SGF further added that they would need to persuade other regions to support their dream if they would produce a president in 2023.
He said, “Is it right for the South-East to produce the next president? My answer is legally no, and the reason is that the constitution is clear, the constitution says every Nigerian of 40 years is entitled to aspire for that office.
“On the other hand, morally is it right? Is it an entitlement? I will say yes because the federal character principle enshrined in the constitution encourages rotation.
“The reason I have to make this clarification is that when the right you have is not legal, the only approach and the instrument you have is persuasion.
“So the approach, the language will be to persuade others to see reason with you that morally they should support you to take a turn since it rotates.”
Anyim, therefore, encouraged the Southeast that as they go ahead with the movement of advocating for a president, it should be with an attitude of persuasion.
