A foremost businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, has insisted that a northern presidential candidate is the best for the South-East region.
Eze urges Ndi-Igbo to maintain their alliance with the North through support for the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He said support for a northern candidate by the South-East will help the region form the needed alliance that will help them attain power in the near future.
He stated these during a solidarity visit to the Director General of the Atiku-Okowa campaign organisation, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, in Ogidi, Anambra State, on Saturday.
Eze, had some weeks ago, taken a swipe at the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, when he said he will not support Obi, adding that Obi was not capable of winning the election and that he (Eze) had told him so during a private visit
He insisted that Atiku’s administration will liberate Nigeria and benefit the South East more.
He spoke to journalists after his closed-door meeting with selected stakeholders, including traditional rulers, community leaders, representatives of Ndi-Igbo across Nigeria, various groups and politically sophisticated others.
Eze urged the people of the southeast to continue the strategic relationship by supporting Atiku in the February elections, noting that the long-standing alliance between the North and the South East has always produced many political benefits to the region.
He said, “I have known Atiku Abubakar to be an honest man, liberal, and a pan-Nigerian who aspires best for the nation, and he is committed to the renaissance of Ndi-Igbo.
“He has demonstrated his huge love and concern for us Ndi-Igbo by continuously choosing an Igbo man to be his running mate since 2007 when he picked Senator Ben Ndi Obi; again in 2019 when he picked Peter Obi; and now, Ifeanyi Okowa, an Igbo man from Delta State.
“He was willing to scale back his ambition if the ticket was micro-zoned to the southeast; only Atiku Abubakar agreed to such terms.
“It is apparent that with him as President of Nigeria, power is shifting to the southeast, and he will undoubtedly keep all of his promises.”
“My appeal is for our people to seize the opportunity provided by Atiku Abubakar to renew the age-old alliance between the southeast and the north, which saw Nnamdi Azikiwe become President of Nigeria in the first republic and Alex Ekwueme serves as Vice President, while Edwin Ume-Ezeoke was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in the second republic.
“We have accomplished far more in this country’s politics through our alliance with the north, and in order to bargain for a Nigerian president of southeast origin, we must maintain that partnership through Atiku.”
Atiku, according to Eze, would deliver on his promise of restructuring the country and ensuring that a southeasterner succeeds him as president. He exhorted Igbo leaders in the diaspora and throughout Nigeria to convey Atiku Abubakar’s Rescue and Recovery agenda to the grassroots and throughout Nigeria, where Ndi-Igbo live and do business.
Okonkwo, on his part, praised the philanthropist for his unwavering support for the Atiku project and his numerous advocacy efforts, which have had an inexplicable impact on the southeast and Ndi-Igbo in particular. Professor Okonkwo reaffirmed the Atiku-Okowa campaign’s commitment to mobilize majority votes for Atiku-Okowa in Anambra State.
Stakeholders and representatives of Ndi-Igbo in the Diaspora present at the meeting expressed their commitment towards Igbo Renaissance and urged southerners to support Atiku-Okowa, noting that with Prince Arthur Eze firmly behind the ticket, they are confident that HE, Atiku Abubakar, will not fail the region.
