Barrister Emma Ibediro, National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, said Igbo should forget about fielding the party’s presidential candidate in 2023.
Ibediro, who hails from the South-eastern part of Nigeria, stated that the Igbo should not see the 2023 presidential ticket as a right, adding that they have to work hard to earn it.
Ibediro speaking to journalists in Abuja urged his kinsmen in the party to work and convince Nigerians that they are worthy to bear the flag of the party.
He said, “Igbo presidency is not a right; just like Hausa presidency is not a right. Yoruba presidency is not a right. Igbo presidency can only become possible if you work within the party and convince the rest of Nigerians to produce a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction.
“So, if the people from the South-east are aspiring to become Nigeria’s president, I think the first thing to do is to work within the party, to get the rest of Nigerians accept that position. It is not a right. That is what I would say.”
He stressed the importance of playing good politics in the country while pointing out that the Igbo are lacking the characteristics to play good politics.
“The south-east needed to play good politics of engagement and consultation that would get other parts of Nigeria involved in their aspirations.
“For now, I don’t think we are playing good politics. It is a question of give and take. I’m an Igbo man and I need to be very objective. So, you also need to encourage people to do something for you. You cannot at every point be asking for something without giving something back.
“Remember, if you check the percentage of population of members of APC and check the population of Nigerians, you will see that we are even less than five percent. So, we are talking about a president that will be a president of Nigeria, not a president of APC.,” he stated further.
Barr. Ibediro lamented the low percentage of votes President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC got from the region in the 2019 elections.
“The president campaigned in all the five states of the South-east, just like he campaigned in every other state. But what was the return in terms of votes,” he said.