By Enyichukwu Enemanna
One of the presidential aspirants on the platform of APC and former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba has finally opened up on why he was conspicuously missing at the Eagles Square Abuja venue of the special convention of the party.
He cited the refusal of his party the APC to zone its presidential ticket to the South East region as reason for boycotting the ongoing primary election to elect a presidential candidate.
Nwajiuba in a release signed by a relative, Chinedum Nwajiuba stated that his understanding was that his party would have tolled the consensus option among the South East aspirants, the same way it elected the party’s national chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu through a consensus in March.
The Imo born politician insisted that he never wanted to be part of ‘Dollar and Naira bazaar’ primary election, insisting that the country’s challenges will not be addressed this way.
“The understanding from the highest levels prior to his involvement, and considering his role in the founding of the APC, was that of consensus as was with the National Chairmanship a few months ago.
“With that understanding, the presidential ticket was to come to the South, and the south-east.
“This has been the hope till the end of the negotiations. He, not wanting to be part of the Dollar and Naira bazaar, is convinced that what Nigeria needs now is no more of the same thing that has kept Nigeria at the low level it has been.
“Our challenges as a country cannot be addressed at the same energy level by which they were created,” the statement said.
Mr Nwajiuba, a former member of the House of Representatives, from Imo State, was conspicuosly absent when he and the other 22 aspirants were invited to the deliver their speeches late Tuesday night before voting commenced at the convention.
His name was repeatedly called by one of the MCs at the event but he was nowhere to be found.
His protest is corroborates the positions is the former Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and that of former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani who believe that South East has been unfairly treated at the APC presidential primary election.
Onu while addressing the party delegates on Tuesday queried where the justice is for the South East as one of the regions yet to produce an elected President since the creation of the country in 1960.
He said, “What is very very important, exceptionally important, is that we must ensure that justice is upheld,” he said in his address.
“Naturally, it should be somebody from the South East that will replace (Buhari), and that will give the opposite South versus North and Christian versus Muslim a balance, and it will bring stability to the nation; it will strengthen Nigeria.
“The South West had eight years as president, eight years as vice president; the South South had eight years as president and vice president; where is the justice? Where is the justice?” Dr Onu asked in anguish.
Nnamani who had earlier dropped his ambition further decried the marginalization against the South East at the convention.
According to him, justice and fairness demand that a South Easterner should fly the flag of the party.
Similarly, former Governor of Imo state and the Senator representing Imo West, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi among other aspirants had earlier written to the President, Muhammadu Buhari urging him to ensure that the party zones its presidential ticket to South East in the interest of fairplay, equity and justice.
