From Maurice Okafor,Enugu
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has expressed optimism that the Igbo are now more united in their quest to produce a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction in 2023.
He said from all indications, Igbo political stakeholders are not toying over the project and are already garnering support from eminent leaders from other tribes and zones of the country.
Chief Okorie dropped this hints in a telephone chat with THE AUTHORITY’ while commending the outcome of recent meeting of South East APC stakeholders, hosted by the Imo state, Governor, Hope Uzodinma, at Owerri.
The stakeholders meeting which was attended by a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Science and Technoliogy, Ogbonnaya Onu came up with a resolution to strengthen the weight of the party in the zone and a stake in the 2023 presidential slot with an insistence that it is the turn of the zone.
Okjorie, a former chairman of de registered United Progressives party (UPP), described the resolutions as a right step in the right direction
“Here we are, 2023 is looking at us. It is something I have been looking at. I have been one of the most optimistic Igbo leaders who have always looked up to2023 as our destiny”
“We used UPP to support President Buhari election in2019 with an understanding that allowing President Buhari to complete eight year tenure will pave way for Ndigbo to produce Nigerian President in 2023”,
“The chance of the South East producing the nation’s President in 2023 is very bright. Very prominent non Igbo opinion leaders have come out to say that for the sake of justice, equity and justice, 2023 is time to support Ndigbo to produce the president of the country”
“For us in APC in the South East zone, we need to work very hard to win Anambra state governorship election, coming up next year. Jf that happens, it then means we shall have two APC controlled states in the zone”.
Okorie expressed optimism that the Igbo nation has brighter chances of realising the dream of Nigerian President of Igbo extraction in 2023 through APC more than the PDP.
