A group, Igbo for a Progressive Nigeria, has urged the people of the South-East not to genuflect to anybody in order to be president of Nigeria in 2023.
Describing the presidency of Nigeria as the bonafide right of qualified citizens, the group said the Igbo should enter the presidential race as a matter of rights, not a privilege.
The group’s President, Lawrence Onuzulike, stated this on Monday at a press conference in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
He said Igbo should stop playing second fiddle by begging for the presidential slot, blaming their inability to clinch the position long ago on the beggarly disposition they have assumed.
“Nobody gives us Igbo presidency. We’re Nigerians. We’re not black Americans fighting for acceptance in America. This is our country and we just have to take what is ours.
“There’s nobody in this country that’s more Nigerian than the other. So nobody can give me a presidency in my own country. It’s my right and I’ll take it.
“Before, we used to be number one in this country, then we became number two, then number three. Now, we’re not even number four, not five.
“We should be president the way others became president. We have to start building bridges of understanding and partnership with those from other regions.”
“We’re happy with the body language of the new Ohaneze Ndigbo. Definitely, we’ll work with this new Obiozor-led body. We’re already in discussion with him. We won’t work with anybody that will take Igbo people backward or whose agenda is self-enrichment