Why Igbos will beg bitterly for 2023 presidency – Ezeife

A former Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has said that the South-East was ready to kneel down, even prostrate and beg in order to get the opportunity to become Nigeria’s President come 2023, TopNaija reports.

Ezeife said this at the United for Better Nigeria Initiative National Convention in Abuja on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the elder statesman said it was the right time for Ndigbo to produce the next President of the country.

He, however, pointed out that Presidency is not given to anyone but people have to work and show that they really merit the position.

Ezeife noted that one of the ways to put a South Easterner in power come 2023 was for the region to swallow its pride and start begging every other region for the presidential seat.

“So I found Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and other groups in this place talking about the need for federal character. If you do it that way, there will be unity, if there is fairness, equity, justice, you will have unity and progress,” he said.

“In the absence of those, you see where we are now. It is not a matter of to give us president, we don’t give, you have to work for it, the Igbo does not prostrate.

“The Igbo man does not kneel down but this time, we are prepared to kneel down to every part of Nigeria, every group, every ethnic group in Nigeria, we are prepared to even prostrate because we believe in this country.”

Ezeife said that Igbo people had contributed greatly to the development of Nigeria in terms of infrastructure, intellect and business. He, therefore, said that it was time to give Igbo people the chance to build Nigeria to the standard God wanted it.

Ezeife was elected governor of Anambra State on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, holding office from 2 January 1992 to 17 November 1993, when General Sani Abacha took power after a military coup.