2023 Presidency: APC Group Intensifies Lobby For South-East Ticket

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – As the gladiators warm up towards the 2023 presidency, the South East Renaissance Assembly (SERA) has up its game canvassing among stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a Nigerian President from the south-east geopolitical zone.

The group, comprising mostly members of the ruling party, said it would be in the APC’s best interest to micro-zone the ticket to the Southeast ahead of the 2023 general elections in the spirit of equity and fairness.

Addressing a media conference in Enugu, SERA expressed happiness over the Party’s boldness in respecting equity and justice by zoning the 2023 presidency to the South and lauded APC politicians of northern Nigeria extraction for making such concession and their showing restraint in not declaring for the 2023 presidency.

However, the SERA National Coordinator, Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu pleaded the Party should go a step further to ensure that the APC Presidential ticket is given to a flagbearer of South-east extraction.

According to him, it is unfortunate that other political parties have not been able to make up their minds about the important factor of zoning which he maintains remains a necessary ingredient for holding Nigeria together, adding that even the “1999 Constitution recognizes the principles of Freedom, Equality, and Justice as fundamental for consolidating the unity of our country.”

He told the media; “We at SERA agree and identify with a zoning of the presidential ticket and we further agree that it is the turn of the southeast geopolitical zone to produce the next president of the country in 2023.

“We also recognize that the destiny of Ndigbo lies with the choice they make and our role is to guide, protect and promote the collective interest of our people. Finally, we would like to seize this opportunity to extend our hand of friendship and partnership to other Nigerian nationalities of different political interests and persuasion.

“We wish to assure you that we will always honour our commitments and obligations in the spirit of justice, equity and fairness. We will always as a matter of principle reciprocates support and favours on the basis of mutual respect and honour.”

Gbazuagu also said SERA is seriously concerned about the future of the Igbo youth who feel betrayed and abandoned, without jobs and without hope, despite the country’s enormous natural resources, adding; “Our group will continue to advocate for our youth through various channels of influence to address youth restiveness largely due to high unemployment and under-employment.

“We will stand against our youth being used and abused as thugs during elections and dumped without adequate compensation or sustainable arrangement immediately after the elections.”

Going forward, the group said; “We will task every political aspirant seeking our support to show through their manifesto commitment, a bankable set of proposals to make a difference in the lives of our youth, anchored in a binding memorandum of understanding for the benefit of our youth.”