Director-general of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Management Committee in Anambra State, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, has asserted that the presidency of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running-mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State would end the restiveness in the South East region and the disunity among the various nationalities in the country.
Okonkwo, who is the chairman of the United Nigeria Airline, expressed optimism that the Atiku-Okowa presidency will restore and stabilise democratic culture in Nigeria.
He made the assertion yesterday in separate interaction with members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and over 160 Atiku support groups at the headquarters of Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, Awka, the state capital.
Okonkwo said what is paramount to the southeast is true federalism and a liberalised economy, and noted that Atiku had already made the two critical issues central to his campaigns and manifesto.
He said the Nigerian president of South East extraction is achievable in no distant time with Atiku-Okowa presidency, and advised that what is required is “for us to be strategic and intentional in forming the necessary alliances, as was done by “our founding political fathers, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Alex Ekwueme.”
According to him, “Given our political complexities, no single region can win the Presidency alone, hence the need for an alliance, which we must begin to cultivate with the support for Atiku Abubakar.
“With Atiku’s victory most probable and Nigerians wishing for the PDP to return to power, it’s best for the southeast to align strategically and take advantage of Atiku Abubakar’s imminent victory to address all issues in the region.”
He stated that with Governor Okowa, an Igbo man from Delta State being on the ticket as Atiku Abubakar’s vice-presidential candidate, the Southeast has genuine interest in the 2023 presidential election.
Okonkwo added, “Being a former vice president and well-known in the country’s polity, Atiku Abubakar is the most qualified, experienced, and respected contender in this race. Only Atiku has so far pledged to restructure Nigeria and devolve power across regions, and given his track record and identity as a pan-Nigerian, we have no doubt that he would keep his word. We, Ndi-Igbo, find Atiku appealing because he is our in-law and has a keen interest in the Southeast.”
