South East leaders at the weekend bemoaned the denial of the region the Presidential and Vice Presidential tickets of the two leading political parties, the ruling the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Former Governors of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and his Enugu State counterpart, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, said the outcome of the presidential primaries of the two parties left the region devastated.
However, Okwesilieze said that it may be a wonderful consolation if the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, realizes his ambition of winning the presidency in 2023.
The duo, who spoke at a brief thanksgiving ceremony held for the former Governor of Abia State and the immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu in Abuja at the weekend, said that the Igbos who had trusted that the two parties will deliver justice and allow the zone to produce their presidential candidates were dissatisfied with what happened in the end.
Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) Correspondent who was at the event said Ezeife, who expressed his views in few words, said the question posed by Onu while speaking to the APC delegates during their convention about justice was very appropriate.
“I appeal to everyone, Igbos, Hausa, Yoruba, Fulani, Ijaw, and indeed all tribes to please help to bring justice to Nigeria so that people where is justice, we point to Nigeria”, he said.
Speaking on the issue zoning of presidency of Nigeria and with regard to the fall out of the presidential primaries, Okwesilieze said the people of South East felt disenchanted by the manner the two leading political parties ignored the clamour for South East to be given the opportunity to produce the next president of the country.
According to him, “many of us from the South East believe that after a presidency from the North that presidency should return to the south and if it came to the south, one of the zones that it should go to is the South East. We felt that it is a fact and that fact is looking for justice, looking for fairness and looking for equity.
“So if you go to the South East, those us in the PDP feel devastated because we have given that party our all and when it threw the presidency open, jettisoning our constitution, which is based on rotation and zoning of political offices, we were truamatized and still devastated after the primaries.
“Again, we looked forward that APC will zone presidency to the South, since the Presidency has been in the North, and what they appeared to be doing was justice and we were hoping that justice will end up in the South East, but we saw how it ended.”
Okwesilieze added that Dr Onu expressed the frustration of the Igbos when he made an injunction, “asking where is the justice?. He said that a country that jettisoned justice is only leaving on quick sand, it cannot stand.
“There must be justice to all it’s people not to some of it’s people. But you know, after all my efforts in the past few years to midwife an Igbo presidency which I look forward to be the highest achievement of my political career and see what happened so far.
“At 72, I have decided not be emotional but to look at the facts in the face. The struggle is not over until it is over. Those in the PDP will stay back and fight so hard to ensure Igbos will get their fare share if the party wins the presidency in 2023 election.
“Likewise, those other Igbo politicians in the APC should work hard to see that the people of the South East does not suffer the kind marginalization they suffered in the last seven years in the current administration.”
Okwesilieze, a former national chairman of the PDP, also spoke about the chances of the South East realizing their presidency ambition through the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, saying that it will be wonderful.
“And for my brothers who are supporting Peter Obi, I wish them well, believing that if they win, that will be wonderful. It will mean that my message and the message of my brother, former Governor Ezeife has finally come to fruition,” he said.
He described Onu as humble and one of the most detribalized leaders from the South East.
“He is so much endowed positively that he cannot leave a position without leaving better than he found it,” he said.
While speaking at the occasion, Dr Onu said said he was confident that Nigeria can only become truly great when it start producing so many products that can be exported to other countries to earn more resources.
Onu who unsuccessfully ran for the APC presidential ticket, said: “Nigeria can only become a source of pride to the black race when it starts producing so many things that we now import. When we start having so many inventions, lots and lots of achievements and then the whole world will take note of it. So wherever the black man is, he will be so proud about Nigeria is doing.”
Onu said that it was this hope of a great Nigeria that has been the driving force of his political aspiration all these years.