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A member of the House of Representatives from Orlu, Orsu and Oru East Federal Constituency in Imo State, Jerry Alagbaoso has urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties in the country to zone their 2023 presidential tickets to the South East region.
Alagbaoso made this call on Saturday while delivering a keynote speech at the second edition of public lecture organized by Prof. Uzorma foundation for Justice and Equity in Owerri Imo State capital.
The PDP reps member declared that in line with the quest for one Nigeria and upholding unity in diversity, the South East region deserves the presidency more than the south-west and other zones and therefore should be allowed to produce a President.
The reps member, a retired comptroller of customs, said, ‘I hereby join my voice through this speech in requesting that all the political parties in Nigeria must zone their presidency to the South East for the interest of peace, justice, equity, fairness and harmony.
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According to him, the choice of the South East to produce the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari became very important because the Southwest region through former President Obasegun Obasanjo had enjoyed the office for an uninterrupted period of eight years.
He said, ‘While the northern part of the country would have fully enjoyed the Office of the Presidency of the country for the full statutory period of 8 years by 2023.’
He said, ‘After all, other zones have taken their various turns. Consequently what is sauce to the gander, is also sauce to the goose. If we consider the South East in the above request, we should have been seen as citizens who are actually building a nation where equity and justice shall reign and this will then be in tandem with the aims and objectives of Prof Uzorma Foundation.’
Commenting on some of the causes of disunity in Nigeria, Alagbaoso said after the return to democracy in 1999, the then government of President Obasanjo made conscious efforts to form a government that reflected the federal character principle.
According to him, the same happened under the governments of President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan respectively. But the case was different when the Muhammadu Buhari government assumed power.
‘There are numerous complaints of nepotism and ethnicism in the position of his government, which created a lot of anxieties and tension in the country, especially among the intelligentsia of the South East.
‘As long as Nigeria remains a multi-ethnic nation, the issues of unity in diversity will continue to be issues that draw questions. And when the actions of the leadership contradict their words as regards the need for continued existence in diversity, frictions, crisis and violence will fester in the polity, hence the leadership must be consistent in matching unifying words with unifying actions.
‘The government should also fine-tune our educational sector and curricula to effectively play a unifying role in our country so that our children should be taught that Upholding unity in diversity is a part every patriotic citizen must tow now.‘
The Eastern Updates reports that that there has been serious clamour for the 2023 Presidency to be zoned to the South East.
THE EASTERN UPDATES
