VICTORIA OJUGBANA, LAGOS
The Greater Nigeria Conference (GNC), an Igbo global think-tank group geared toward good governance in the South-East, has disclosed its readiness to dialogue with all Nigerians in Abuja on Igbo Presidency in the 2023 elections.
Head of Media, GNC, Collins Steve Ugwu, speaking with Daily Independent during the delegation’s visit to the Corporate Office in Lagos on Tuesday, said that the conference is scheduled to hold on Monday, April 25, at the Executive Hall, International Conference Centre, Abuja, at 11 am.
Themed: “Quest for Presidency of South-East Extraction #TogetherWeCan,” Ugwu stated that the “dialogue is a conceived programme to make Nigeria greater and better through a consensus of ideas.”
Recalling that Nigeria’s Presidency has gone round the North, South-West and the South-South without things being okay, Ugwu said: “Probably now, there is a need that the Presidency should come to the South-East for a better lift that Nigeria needs.
“We need to think like a country that is looking for greatness. We need to rediscover that by coming to accept that for fairness, equity and justice to thrive, there should be a consensus to say the South-East has an opportunity to the seat of the Presidency. The GNC is seeking to have a dialogue with all Nigerians.”
Calling on the media to contribute to the issue, the GNC media chief added: “The South-East has a lot of capable people. We want Nigerians to make their choice. It is left for the candidates to reach a consensus if they so desire.”
GNC, an initiative of Nzuko Umunna, an Igbo global think-tank, a non-governmental foundation, which is geared towards good governance in the South-East, is also a non-partisan organisation.
Also, a member of the Media Committee and the Nzuko Umunna Ndigbo, Chris Maduka, during the visit, said GNC’s dialogue will also help to seek fairness and equity among qualified candidates of the South-East.
“A lot of people claim to love Nigeria and this is a time to demonstrate that. Without peace, justice and equity, there can be no perfect union. This is an opportunity for all of us to lend our voices and support the South-Easterner for Presidency. Rotational Presidency makes room for justice and equity and that is all we are asking for,” Maduka said.
The conference will bring together past and present leaders, traditional and religious leaders, captains of industry, academics, opinion moulders, Nigerians from all walks of life, among others, to share their views on some of what should be done to create the country of our dreams, and how Nigerians can work together to create a stronger union – to realize the visions of our founding fathers – of Nigeria as a nation that stands in brotherhood.
A statement made available during the visit said: “With the 2023 elections around the corner, “One of such issues pertains to which part of the country the president should come from, that is the issue of zoning.
“For the South-Easterners, there are deep worries and general discomfort over what we perceive as the exclusion and marginalization of our citizens. Thus, for us, the opportunity to hold the highest office in the land will confirm once and for all, our full integration into the federation following the unfortunate Civil War of 1967-1970.
“It is for the above reason that the leaders and friends of the South-East from the federation have decided to create a platform for the region to canvass support for the zoning of Presidency in 2023 to the South-East, by major political parties; and also hear from the rest of the federation, so that together, we can collectively find solutions that will give comfort to all Nigerians, and enable us, as a nation, to harness our immense human and material wealth for the good of all.”
