A former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has urged Nigerians to vote only for a southern presidential candidate in the forthcoming election.
He made the call at the Obi/Datti International Conference, 2023 in Abuja.
He said voting for a Northern candidate in the forthcoming elections would go against the Abacha constitutional conference’s 1996 recommendations for power rotation and sharing formula.
He stressed that choosing a Northern candidate would further endanger the nation’s peace and unity adding that after eight years under President Muhammadu Buhari allowing another Northerner to win the presidency would constitute injustice and a breach of equality.
The former governor explained that it would be fair for power to be given to the South East as it had not occupied the presidency position before.
“We agreed that the presidency should rotate between the North and South, every reasonable politician in Nigeria knows that is what we agreed on, inclusiveness, if you are not involved you will feel like a slave. Nigerians should be looking for a new party with a conscience to make Nigeria stand as one country. From the South we have Tinubu but most suitable among them is Peter Obi.
“Igbos have not occupied the Presidency; the South-West has gone through Obasanjo; South-South has gone through Jonathan, therefore Peter Obi is the one.
“He has the capacity, intelligence, humility, everything we want in a president, we have in him. Peter obi is more humble than me. He knows what we want as Nigeria. Only southern candidates are qualified, i think the choice is between Peter Obi and Tinibu”
The Chairman of the occasion, Mike Ejiogu, urged Nigerians, irrespective of creed, background, and ethnicity to vote for Peter Obi, whose candidacy has enjoyed tremendous support nationwide.
Earlier, the Convener of the conference, Dr Kletsaint Akor, said he was inspired by the vision of a new Nigeria and decided to bring together various stakeholders to actualize Obi’s presidency.
Also speaking, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afenifere; the Pan-Yoruba Social-Political Group who was represented at the occasion by Director of Research of the group, Dr Akin Fapohunda said Afenifere endorsed Obi because they believed in the restructuring of the country.
In his presentation, the Convener Country First Movement, Professor Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia, who explained that the Obidient movement is not just a political movement, stressed that the time has come to change the narrative from consumption to production.