Ohanaeze To Pick Consensus Presidential Candidate From S/East

Apex Igbo Social-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has announced plans to meet with all the presidential candidates of political parties from the Southeast with a view to picking a consensus candidate among them ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Its national publicity secretary, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP in Enugu.

Ogbonnia said the position of the Igbo apex body that the next president of Nigeria must come 2023 must come from the Southeast has not changed.

“Ohanaeze will meet with all the presidential candidates from the Southeast and come up with a consensus candidate. Our position of president of Southeast extraction come 2023 has not changed and we are working towards a consensus candidate from the Southeast” he stated.

The Ohanaeze spokesman said they are collaborating with the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum to actualise president of Southeast extraction in 2023.

He urged Igbos to be steadfast and not to be intimidated in the struggle to actualise their dream of president of Southeast extraction come 2023.

Ogbonnia, who refused to name a particular candidate among the easterners contesting for the president, however, said they have brought out better goods for Nigerians to endorse.

On the candidature of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, Ogbonnia described his ambition as a Nigerian project and not Igbo project and wished him well in his ambition.

“We don’t want to make Obi an Igbo affairs; it is already a Nigerian project and it is left for Nigerians to do the endorsement. We have many other easterners contesting for the president under the platform of other parties and we will visit them and dialogue with them and come up with a consensus candidate,” he stated.