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Presidency 2007: S�East
Forum wants parties to field only Igbo candidates
By Chukwudi Achife
Bureau
Chief,
Enugu
Igbo political leaders rose
from a meeting in Enugu on Sunday with a directive to all Igbos and
politicians of Igbo origin to launch a campaign for the zoning of 2007
presidential ticket in their respective political parties to the South
East Zone as part of efforts to ensure the emergence of a president from
the south east in the next elections.
They particularly charged Igbo
members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Nigeria Peoples
Party (ANPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Alliance for
Democracy (AD) to ensure that the objective was achieved.
A communiqu� issued after the
meeting which was held at the residence of the APGA National Chairman,
Chief Chekwas Okorie, reaffirmed their resolve "to work assiduously" for
the actualization of the Igbo presidency project in 2007, stressing that
there would be no compromise in the pursuit of the ambition.
They said, "We reaffirm our
earlier resolve to work assiduously for the actualization of a Nigerian
president of Igbo extraction in 2007 or whenever the contest for the
presidency of Nigeria takes place. We mandate all our members and all Igbo
from all registered political parties particularly the PDD, ANPP, APGA and
AD to formally and immediately request the parties to present a
presidential candidate of Igbo extraction in the next presidential
election as soon as practicable."
They also urged all the
parties to present an urgent and comprehensive electoral reform as part of
the ultimate national restructuring process through the convocation of a
National Conference.
The forum also set up three
standing committees to work toward the realization of the Igbo presidency
project. The committees are Contact and Mobilization headed by Chief Edwin
Ume-Ezeoke; the Finance Committee headed by Dr. Idika Kalu; and the
Strategy Committee headed by Chief Nnia Nwodo.
Speaking with newsmen on the
outcome of the meeting, Chief Ume-Ezeoke who presided over the session,
said that the forum intended to get in touch with all ethnic nationalities
as well as civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations
across the country to garner support for the project, which was
feasible.
He stated that the forum was
different the South East Caucus, which he said was made up mainly of
politicians and government functionaries in the ruling PDP, explaining
that the membership of the South East Political Leaders Forum cut across
all political and partisan persuasions.
Ume-Ezeoke said: "The meeting
that I attended and chaired is the authentic South East Political Leaders
Forum. The other one (South East Caucus) to which I have also been invited
but did not attend, I saw it as being extremely partisan in the sense that
it is made up of PDP officials and functionaries and PDP members of state
and federal government, governors, their deputies, special assistants,
commissioners, ministers and so on. So, PDP, which has already taken a
stand on the zoning of the presidency, cannot be calling a meeting to
deliberate on a matter that is already a fait accompli as far as they are
concerned. So I thought that they are not serious. It is not a serious
body to handle such an important issue that worries virtually every Igbo
man."
Among the 34 prominent Igbo
politicians who attended the meeting were Chief Nnia Nwodo, Air Vice
Marshal Canice Umenwaliri, Chief Maxi Okwu, Chief George Muoghalu, Group
Capt. Joe Orji, Chief Flint Obiekwe, Chief Ziggy Azike, Chief Onwuka Ukwa,
Dr. Ibezim Chukwumerije and Dr. Okey Umeano.
Others are Chief Ugochukwu
Agballah, Chief G. U. Uba, Chief Felix Ereke, Chief Benji Duru, Evangelist
Elliot Uko, Mrs Stella Brown, Hon Emeka Nwajiuba, Hon. Uche Onyeaguocha,
Chief Francis Egu, Chief Ugochukwu Akanegbu and Chief Tony Oka.
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