Sunday, July 24, 2011

Igbos can get Presidency if only -Amb. Ralph Uwaechue

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uwaechue, at the weekend, said for the South-east to regain her leading role in the nation’s polity,
it must press for a constitutional amendment that enshrines equality of the six geo- political zones and work collectively to secure the presidency after the South-south in 2015.
Uwechue in a lecture entitled, “Charting a New Course for the Igbo Nation in the Nigerian Polity” at the inauguration of the executive committee of the Enugu Sports Club, expressed dismay that the zone which had been at the forefront of the nation’s affairs is today relegated to the background.
He said Ndigbo had been consistent in the pursuit of national unity and inter-ethnic cooperation, stressing that under the leadership of the late Owelle of Onitsha, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Igbos played the role of bridge builders in the fledging Nigerian nation.
“Ndigbo, apart from their demographic weight are exceptionally resourceful as evidenced by their outstanding achievements in various fields of human endeavour both at home and abroad,” he said.
He traced the core problems facing Ndigbo at the national political stage to the immediate events that preceded the civil war, 1967 -70, saying it created fear and distrust among the Igbo.
Uwaechue added that despite its contributions to national development, the South-east zone has remained the only zone that has not produced the president of the country since the birth of Nigeria, adding however, that the zone has not helped matters due to the infighting and divisions within their ranks.
He said Ohanaeze Ndigbo was emphasising unity among the people and guiding Ndigbo “towards a common political and economic agenda at securing the presidency.”
Uwaechue explained that the rallying cry for Igbo support for President Goodluck Jonathan in the last elections was the premise that power should rotate within the six geo political zones.

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