By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu and former Senate President Ken Nnamani were the only two Southeastern Presidential candidates who stood firm during Tuesday’s APC primaries to demand power shift to their region.
The duo made the calls while speaking separately during the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.
“Southwest had 8 years, the northe had its own 8 years, the south south too had it’s own with Goodluck. Where isvthe justice for southeast? We need to do what is right,” Onu queried.
On his part, Senator Nnamani noted that it will be a rape on the Federal Character if the Southeast is denied opportunity to lead the country in 2023, being the only region yet to produce a democratically elected President since the creation of the country in 1960.
He therefore called on the ruling APC to purge itself of injustice against the Southeast region by zoning its Presidential ticket to the region.
Earlier, presidential aspirants on the platform of APC from the Southeast region had written to the President, urging him to ensure that his successor emerges from the region.
The Presidential aspirants were Rochas Okorocha, Dave Umahi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Ikeobasi Mokelu,Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and Uju-Ken Ahanenye.
In the letter which was dated 6 June 2022, they argued that for the sake of equity and unity, it is only fair that the APC zones the ticket to the South East, which is yet to produce a President for the country.
“Your Excellency, we most humbly request that this position of our brothers from the North be deepened and made even more wholesome by further zoning this position to the South-East.
“We are all aware that no President can emerge without the support of various geopolitical zones and without the express collaboration of our brothers and sisters from other zones of Nigeria.
“With our Convention at hand, your kind directive for the deepening of unity in diversity, championed by our founding fathers solely on the basis of strengthening national unity and cohesion and for rousing victory at the 2023 elections, are stated objectives in your speeches to the Progressive governors forum, the APC aspirants dinner and the meeting of APC stakeholders.
“Furthermore, we are humbly requesting that you consider and pick your chosen candidate from the South-East aspirants in line with your stated objectives of handing over to trusted party loyalists.
“We humbly seek your Excellency’s prompt and kind intervention to enable the party delegates assume proper guidance,” the letter read in part.
