In the past months, there has been an intense agitation for the two major political parties to zone their presidential tickets to the South East in the interest of fairness and equity. The clamour for the Igbo presidency is underlined by the fact that the region is yet to produce a President since independence....CONTINUE READING
While the Peoples Democratic Party does not appear inclined to the Igbo presidency, the ruling All Progressives Congress seems to be paying some attention to the yearnings of the region. Apart from the fact that APC may have zoned its presidential ticket to the South, indications are now emerging that it may further micro-zone its ticket to the South East. The final details of APC’s zoning formula are expected to be concluded when the party holds its National convention in a couple of months.
However, according to a recent media report, some key power brokers in APC are lining up behind the Igbo Presidency 2023 project. A top chieftain of the ruling party, Osita Okechukwu recently told Thisday newspaper that even President Buhari may be silently rooting for an Igbo candidate to emerge as APC’s presidential flagbearer in 2023.
He said this as a follow-up to the meeting that was held between President Buhari and Igbo leaders, who appealed to Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu.
Why Buhari’s support is crucial for Igbo Presidency in 2023
The major reason why Buhari’s support is crucial for the realization of the Igbo president in 2023 is that as the President, he is the leader of APC. Buhari has the power and influence to convince APC power brokers to support any candidate of his choice or zone the presidential ticket in favour of any zone he prefers.
The APC Caretaker Commission Chairman Governor Mai Mala Buni made this expressly clear when he said that party leaders cannot take any decision without the President’s approval. That means if Buhari is truly silently in support of the Igbo president, then there is a high chance that APC’s zoning formula will favour South East.
Other APC leaders may have other preferences, but Buhari can veto them in support of the Igbos
Where does that leave the South West?
This is a crucial question that Buhari and other APC leaders must treat with caution. Since 2013 when the idea for APC was first mooted to date, the South West has made the most sacrifice and investment in APC by way of human and material resources.
The South West leaders did all of these with the understanding that 2023 will be their turn to produce the president. So if Buhari decides to throw his weight behind the South East instead of South West, he must first appease the region. If not there could internal crisis in APC.
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