BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Determined to forge a common front in pursuit of the South East presidential agenda, All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants of Igbo extraction have tasked the ruling party to do the right thing by supporting the zone’s quest come 2023.
Rising from a meeting in Abuja on Sunday, the aspirants spoke with one voice, declaring their readiness to support anyone of them who clinches the party’s ticket at the forthcoming presidential primaries.
Aspirants at the meeting included the host and former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha; former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, and former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba.
Others who also graced the gathering were former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu and the only female presidential aspirant in the ruling party, Mrs Uju Ken-Ohanenye, who is a legal practitioner.
The meeting, which lasted for quite sometime, took place behind closed door at the Abuja home of Senator Okorocha located in the Maitama district of the nation’s capital.
Reports indicated that the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi had to join the proceedings virtually after cutting short his visit to Abuja and returning to Abakiliki in order to retrieve relevant documents for his screening.
Chaired by Onu, also a former Governor of old Abia State, the meeting, in a communique read by Nnamani, agreed to align with the party’s decision that would be fair by doing the right thing and heeding the clamour for power shift to the South East geo-political zone.
The communique reads: “That the President of the federal republic of Nigeria and the All Progressive Congress and Its National Working Committee as well the teaming members of the party are commended by the entire people of the South East on their avowed commitment to the unity of Nigeria and the inclusion of all parts of Nigeria In the governance architecture of the country.
“That we commend all Nigerians who are committed to the Nigerian project by the whole hearted support of the aspiration of the South East to produce the next Nigerian president in 2023.
“That in furtherance of these commitment, all aspirants here commit to align with any of the South East aspirants that is accepted by and chosen by other Nigerians to fly the APC flag”.
