South-East will not accept vice-presidential slots from any political party in the 2023 presidential race, prominent Igbo leaders.
This statement was made by the First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi.
He said: “For me, the office of the Vice President of Nigeria should not be the only option for the people of South East. It should not be the only option and it should not be the first option.
“What I want for the South East which has been so marginalized and so badly treated in Nigeria is the chance to be the next President of Nigeria, to bring about peace, to bring total reconciliation to Nigeria and togetherness in the country.
“President of Nigeria from the South-East is also going to restore peace, tranquillity and confidence in Nigeria. That is my first choice and priority.
“There are many prominent Igbo who can be president of Nigeria and even president of the United Nations. But there can only be one president.
“I called a meeting of Ndigbo on May 29, 2021, in my house, particularly the leaders of All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It was a joint meeting at my house. It was attended by people of South-East origin. I told them that the only way to get the office of the president is for the two political parties to nominate their candidates from the South- East.
“As far as I am concerned, any South-East person who will be president, whether he is from APC or PDP, or whatever party they like, is acceptable to me. I don’t care about the party the person belongs to. What I am after is for a South-East person to become the president of the country.
“There are so many Igbo who can be president but there can only be one President. I am not happy with what am seeing. Already, there are so many indications of people who want to be president and if they go to their various political parties and say that they want to be president, they are likely not going to have any chance.
It is not a pleasant situation but I am working also to see how the number will be pruned. Let them come, they are still coming up. When they all come out, we will see how the number will be pruned.
“As I earlier said, Vice President is not the first choice for the South-East. That is my position. Office of the President is my first choice and that is what any serious South-East politician should aim at and go for. If there is nothing else, then anybody can start thinking of considering the office of the Vice President. It is not good for the people of South-East.”