Igbos at home and in the Diaspora on Sunday called on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act with the view to compelling political parties to insert in their Constitutions the rotation of Nigeria’s Presidency.
According to them, the provision of the clause should be one of the requirements of registering new political parties and accepting old ones as legitimate parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a communiqué, after a two-day Special World Igbo Congress (WIC) held at the Gregory University, Uturu (GUU), Igbos asked their kinsmen and women to liaise with their colleagues from other zones at the National Assembly to make it as a law for INEC to withdraw its recognition of any party that does not insert the clause of rotational Presidency in its Constitution.
The congress, organized by the World Igbo Summit, and the Igbo Renaissance Centre of the university, had its theme as “Enduring Future For Ndigbo: Expectation and Challenges”.
The congress was attended by prominent Igbo sons and daughters, amongst them were: former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe Rtd, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who also declared the Summit open. Others include: Federal Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onuh, former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and Senator (Gen) Ike Nwachukwu.
Prominent Igbo sons and daughters who equally attended the summit were: Professors Joe Irukwu, George Obiozor, Ihechukwu Madubuike, Greg Ibe, Augustine Uwakwe and Iyom Josephine Anenih.
Doctors Okey Ikechukwu and Ifedi Okwenna, the Director General, World Igbo Summit and many other Igbo great intellectuals, professionals, businessmen, civil society activists, gender advocates and other experts of Igbo extraction residing in different parts of the world were also in attendance.
The communiqué, read by Okwenna maintained that the time for Nigeria’s President of Igbo extraction is now, pointing out that Ndigbo should diligently and boldly convince other Nigerians to support the quest for one of them to become the President of Nigeria in 2023.
“2023 is the right time for Ndigbo to occupy the seat of the presidency of Nigeria”, the communiqué asserted.
It continued, “After a two-day deliberation, the Summit resolved as follows: “As Ndigbo, we shall continuously seek for a system or polity that guarantees and secures our social, political and economic interest in Nigeria, based on equality of citizenship, equity and justice.
“That we shall diligently and boldly work hard to convince other Nigerians to support Igbo’s quest to become the President of Nigeria as 2023 is the right time for Ndigbo to occupy the seat of the Presidency of Nigeria.
“To this end, the summit therefore urges Igbo politicians to ensure that their respective political parties produce candidates of Igbo extraction as presidential candidate of their respective political parties.
“The Summit urges Ndigbo to remain politically active and conscious to ensure that the about 26 million registered voting strength of Ndigbo all over Nigeria are effectively mobilized, through regular voter education to strengthen the capacity of the zone to negotiate and ultimately win the Presidency.
“That Ndigbo know that they can only realize their aspiration through persuasion of other Nigerians and are therefore ready and are engaging other Nigerians and people, and are not antagonistic and abusive as some people are wrongly asserting.
“The summit reaffirmed the urgent need for restricting of Nigeria to allow for growth and development in line with resolutions of the 2014 National Conference and The Awka Declaration of Ndigbo on restructuring of Nigeria.
“The Summit acknowledge the fact that Ndigbo have substantial investments and is doing business in various parts of the country, we call on the Federal Government to ensure the security of lives and property of all Nigeria, particularly Ndigbo, as they are usually the main target of hoodlums in times of crisis.
“The Summit expresses their appreciation to the Chancellor and Management of Gregory University for being a wonderful host and for their commitment to the re-engineering of Igbo growth and development through her Igbo Renaissance Centre”.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
