By Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku
Abuja, Nigeria – A group, South East Patriots (SEP), at a press conference in Abuja during the week, handed Bar Nyesom Wike, Rivers State governor a stiff warning not to consider putting himself forward in the 2023 Presidential elections.
The group said that even though the Civil War ended over 50 years ago, the South East Zone of Nigeria “has been alienated and totally excluded from holding senior offices in Nigeria, especially the office of President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Sir Obunike Ohaegbu, convener of the group said during the press conference that his group needed to get clarification from Bar Nyesom Wike who had said that Nigeria’s next president will come from the South of Nigeria.
“We believe that it would be insensitive to the agitation to the agitation of the South East for anyone in the South-South or South West to present themselves for the presidency at this time. We in the SEP will consider such aspiration as being offensive to the sensibilities of the people of the South East.
“We consider it a fraud on the people of the South East in particular and Nigeria in general. Worse still, it would be ridiculous and totally self-serving if Governor Wike presents himself for the 2023 presidential election,” Sir Ohaegbu said in a signed statement made available to journalists.
The South East of Nigeria comprises five states – Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra. Alltimepost.com correspondent asked the SEP convener how the South East can produce a common front when it appears that nearly all the governors are at loggerheads with one another.
Several groups elsewhere in Nigeria have also canvassed a Nigerian president keen on developing every section of Nigeria rather than an ethnic one.
“It is perfectly normal for politicians in the South East to hold different views on issues. In the South West, there are people holding different political views against the ambition of Bola Tinubu. But I can assure you that there are competent hands in the South East who can hold the presidency of Nigeria,” Sir Ohaegbu said.
The group which said that it had set up a “machinery for the interrogation of the blueprint of most of the would be aspirants across the country,” said that it endorsed the position of former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, to restructure the Nigerian polity, hand over power to someone from the South East in 2027 and decriminalize the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
“Such outbursts from Wike, sic, should never be employed to ridicule or water down those commitments already put on the front table for the people of the South East by the Atiku Declaration,” the SEP statement read.
Alltimepost.com sought the views of stakeholders in Nigeria concerning the agitations by interest groups for the presidency of the country.
Olanrewaju Suraju, Human and Environment Development Agenda, HEDA, chairman told Alltimepost.com that there was nothing wrong with the South East seeking to get one of theirs to be Nigerian president.
“I think it is important for us to be talking about the status of our fairness to ourselves, especially as it concerns issues of how every tribe in Nigeria can have a taste of the presidency. If we had taken very due consideration for the zoning arrangements going from the North to the South, then I think that it will be proper to be talking about zoning to the South East.
“Unfortunately for now we have the challenge even recently where the former President Yar’Adua came from the North West as well as the current president who is also from the North West.
“When this happened, there were no discussions about the presidency going to either the North East or North Central of Nigeria. But if we are looking at the level of agitation from the South, especially after Dr Goodluck Jonathan from the South-South has run the presidency, and some of it having gone to the South West, I think it would just be natural for Nigeria to be making considerations for the South East to also produce the president of Nigeria.
“But it is really sad, at the moment that the South Eastern political leaders have actually failed to imbibe the culture of political tolerance, such that other zones will find it difficult to see them as allies and repose some trust in them.
“They used their IPOB agitations to intimidate other Nigerians such that it has become really difficult for other Nigerians to concede the presidency of Nigeria to them.”
Walter Duru, communications and public relations consultant says he is not opposed to a South Easterner being Nigeria’s next president. “However, such a person must be competent, articulate, and have a track-record of credible leadership and ready to implement transparency initiatives.
“Nigeria’s present situation is critical, as the country is on life support. Only a competent, articulate, credible, unbiased, visionary and bold president can salvage the situation,” he told Alltimepost.com.
In his view, Benin-based veteran Journalist, public commentator and media consultant, Mr. Tony Abolo had this to say: “For the sake of closure of the Nigerian civil war which ended about 50 years ago, it would be fair that the South East be given a shot at running Nigeria at the presidency.”
