Ohanaeze Ndigbo preaches rotation to get 2023 presidency

OHANAEZE Ndigbo yesterday said Nigeria’s president have been emerging since the second republic on “turn- by- turn” basis, stressing that the dynamics would not change by 2023.

The apex Igbo socio- cultural organisation reiterated that attempts by some political gladiators to twist the unwritten political arrangement against to deprive the South East from producing President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023 would not help the country. The group’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mazi Chucks Ibegbu, insisted that the nation had been governed since second republic on rotation of power between the north and south, stating that the idea had checked bickering and other problems associated with power tussle. He said: “We have all been witnesses to how power has been moving from one part of the country to another since the second republic. The Nigerian presidency has been turnby- turn.

“The late Alhaji Shehu Shagari was a product of turnby- turn. Olusegun Obasanjo was in a product of turn- by- turn. The late Musa Yar’adua was a product of turn- by- turn. Dr Goodluck Jonathan was a product of turn- by- turn. Buhari is a product of turnby- turn.”

Ibegbu continued: “Let the Igbo have their turn before we throw it open to all. Even on merit, Igbo have an array of highly qualified persons who can turn the fortunes of the country around for good. So, whether on merit or turnby- turn, we have the men and women to make Nigeria great again.”

Ohanaeze restated its resolve for merit as hallmark for electing those who should rule the country, adding however, that “since we are entrenched in rotating the office, it should first go round before we now make it free for all. When it must have gone round, we will now be matured enough not to bother about where the president could come from as much as the person has all it takes to take us to the path of development and growth.”