The Igbo Elders Council (IEC) yesterday insisted on the principles of zoning, rotation and power sharing in the politics of Nigeria, warning that the South East geopolitical zone may have to reconsider its membership of the Nigerian federation if the 2023 presidential election fails to produce an Igbo man as President of the country.
This follows a meeting of the Council in Awka, Anambra State to discuss the apparent failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone their presidential tickets to the South East geopolitical zone.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the National President and member Board of Trustees of the Igbo Elders Council and former Justice of the Supreme Court as well as the National Secretary of the body Prof Donald Okoli, the Council reminded the major political parties to field their presidential candidates from the South East in compliance with the principles of equity, justice and fairness.
We strongly condemn the seemingly jettisoning of the rotational arrangement of major political parties in choosing their flag bearers especially now that it is the turn of South East to produce the next President of this country.
“We emphatically insisted that it is the turn of Igbos to produce the next President of Nigeria based on their contributions to the sustainable development of key sectors of the Nigerian economy and having been denied this position since the end of the civil war in 1970.
Also we call on all people from Igbo descent to unite for the purpose of achieving the presidency in 2023 and that no politician should accept the Vice Presidential position. “That if the next President is not from the South East that the region will be left with no option.
