Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Council to head 2023 Igbo Presidency National Committee

OHANEZE Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has announced that it will spearhead a campaign to get an Igbo elected in 2023 and will lead a nationwide movement to reach out to other ethnic groups.

Although not constitutional, Nigeria's component parts have a gentleman's agreement that the presidency will rotate between the north and the south of the country. President Muhammadu Buhari's tenure will end in 2023 and being a Fulani northern Muslim, it is expected that the next president will come from southern Nigeria.

Each half of the country is made up of three geo-political zones, which in the south is made up of the southeast, south-south and southwest geo-political zones. However, since the return to democracy in 1999, the southwest has produced President Olusegun Obasanjo. while the south-south has produced President Goodluck Jonathan, so the next president should come from the southeast.

Ohaneze Ndigbo said that it would lead the 2023 National Committee on Igbo Presidency project to visit some prominent Nigerians, informing them on the need to support an Igbo leader come 2023. It added that the people it will consult include the former aviation minister Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Professor Ango Abdullahi, Mallam Junaid Mohammed, the Arewa Consultative Forum secretary Anthony Sani and the Coalition of Northern Groups.

In a statement issued by the Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Council's deputy president Obinna Achionye, and its general secretary Okwu Nnabuike, it added that the southeast should be encouraged to produce a president come 2023. They said: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide lauds Nigerians irrespective of tribe and religion who believe in the principle of equity, justice and fairness in the country.

“For proper integration, unity and maintenance of healthy democracy, the southeast should be encouraged to adopt the Yoruba model of 1999 and northern model of 2019 where the major political parties both adopted candidates from there. They should respect the rotational presidency structure, as what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

“A Nigerian president of Igbo stock will soon emerge and we have activated unity of purpose among the ranks and files stakeholders of Igbo. The 2023 National Committee on Igbo Presidency project, a new political organ and platform that will independently drive the 2023 Igbo presidency project has emerged."

According to Ohaneze Ndigbo, this committee will take an oath of allegiance to the great Igbo deity, never to betray this Igbo presidency project whose time has come. This 27-man 2023 committee will have a clear mandate to reach out to all and sundry, especially those detractors who are yet to see why the zone should not produce Nigeria's president come 2023.

“We insist everyone will be consulted to gain confidence of all Nigerians before the end of 2021 and a new Zik of Africa will emerge as president in 2023. Igbo Youths wish to state categorically that the current 2023 Igbo Presidency National Committee is open to all Nigerians to join not necessarily limited to Igbo folks," they added.