The Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has said that Igbo alone cannot make or produce a president of Igbo extraction when the time comes, adding that Igbo would need the rest of Nigerians to be able to have a president of Igbo origin who would also see himself or herself as a Nigerian, first and foremost.
Okorocha spoke while answering question to that effect, from a journalist when he met with media chieftains in the state for an interaction weekend, at the Government House, Owerri, stating that it would be a foolish thought for any Igbo man eyeing the presidency of this country at any time to think that the Igbo only would make him president.
The governor also regretted that the Igbo do not honour their own even their leaders unlike what is obtainable in the other parts of the country where people honour their own and appreciate their leaders, contending that any Igbo man wanting or aspiring to achieve the feat of being the president of this country one day, cannot rely on the Igbo.
He remarked, “the Igbo do not know how to honour their own. They rather like to run down any of their rising leaders. The pull-him-down syndrome is high in Igbo land. And it is very unfortunate. Anytime I come out to run for the presidency of this country, I will not suffer pull-him-down from the North or from the South-West or South-South, it is only in Igbo land that I will suffer it”.
He continued “And they engage in this pull-him-down practice without knowing the overall implications on the Igbos. So, it will be out of place for an Igbo presidential aspirant at any given period to think that the Igbo will make him president because Igbos do not value their own. They don’t value what they have; but value outsiders. It is in their character. It is in their nature”.
The governor further stated, “read the newspapers and go to the social media, all the insults and attacks you get are all from the Igbo. They go to any length to run you down without caring about your good intentions and all the efforts being made to see that things work out fine for the people of the area. It is a problem. It didn’t start today. Go down the memory lane you discover that the pull-him-down syndrome in Igboland didn’t start today”.
On the DSS action at the National Assembly, the governor said, “we have never had it this bad in the face-off between the executive and the legislature. It is unfortunate. People took the humility and sincerity of purpose of President Muhammadu Buhari for granted. Usually no president or governor would sit down and watch a speaker that he has not supported to emerge”.