South East Cannot Dictate To Other Zones On 2023 Presidency, Says Peter Obi

Former Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 general election has said that Igbos need to convince other regions before they can win the country’s biggest political seat.

Obi, who is a former governor of Anambra State, said this during an interview on Arise Tv on Monday.

He made the argument in response to resolutions made by the Governors’ Forum in July where they agreed that the presidency should go to the region.

The South East has insisted that it is the turn of the zone to rule the country in 2023.

The last shot the region had to lead the country in a democratic dispensation was during the era of Nnamdi Azikiwe between 1963- 1966 .

Obi said, “You said the governors, these are the leaders of today in terms of who they are, the Governors’ Forum and then of course the parties. This decision will be done within the parties. It is not the question of my view or anybody’s view. It is the view of the party, because even if I say ‘oh let it come to the South, if the party zones it to the North, we are not going to walk away from there. If they zone it to the South… It depends on where they want to zone it, because these are major parties. They have a lot of members and stakeholders who will sit down at a round table.

“Politics for me is something where you sit down at a round table and discuss and agree with each other. It is not something where Peter can say this is my preference. That is not politics otherwise it becomes another dictatorship. We have to sit down, discuss it and have a convincing argument why it should be here or here or here. Resolve it amicably where every section of Nigeria feels a sense of belonging.”

Obi was silent on whether he supports the move for the Igbo presidency in the 2023 general elections.

He continued, “We need to convince the other people why it should be us and you know we have a very convincing argument about that. But they need to be convinced. We are not going to hold a gun to their head and say ‘you must come here.’ No, it is a politics about engagement. It is about consultation. It is not about confrontation. You consult and discuss with the other people and say this is how we need to do it.”

Obi also did not disclose clearly if he has intentions to run for the most revered seat, but described the country’s condition as pathetic.

He said the issue should not be who is contesting for 2023 election, but he is preoccupied with issues regarding the survival of Nigeria as a country.

“When that time comes, but for now, let talk about how to fix what is the problem,” he said.

The politician explained that the country has integrity issues and electorates should not vote for ‘thieves’ in 2023 regardless of their qualification.

Obi said, ” I have seen people now flaunt paper qualification or ability to speak Queens English and everything. All those things, educational qualification… What we have in Nigeria is not just leadership issue, it is integrity issue. We have had people who are educated and well educated but they are thieves. So educational qualification is not a measure for integrity.

“Ability to speak Queens English is not a measure of integrity. So we should look for people who have the capacity, people who have the integrity and of course have a knowledge of what the problem is all about.”

He lamented the case of Nigeria’s unemployment which has hit 33.3 per cent according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The politician who is often described as a ‘technocrat’ by his supporters said the problem with the country is a product of cumulative failures of past leaders.