Actualizing the Igbo presidency project would not be feasible without the support of other regional blocs, the World Igbo Summit Group, organizers of the world Igbo summit said, yesterday.
The group said it was reaching out to groups such as Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in the northern part of the country, the Afenifere in the South-West and the Niger Delta in the South-South region, amongst others, on how the South-East can produce the next president of the country in 2023 general election.
The Director-General of the group, Dr Ifedi Okwenna, made the disclosure at a press conference in Abuja.
He said that the meeting would hold during the 6th World Igbo Summit organized by the group, the Igbo Renaissance Centre of Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State, and the leaders of the Igbo collectives, holding today at the President Goodluck Jonathan Auditorium of the university.
He said: “Indeed, considering our current and determined quest for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction, we should use this opportunity to show strong leadership in reshaping and resetting the nation and in removing all obstacles and unjust structures that enthrone injustice, inequity, lopsidedness and maladministration in Nigeria.
“This is the time our voice and demand for restructuring Nigeria and networking for our Presidential aspiration should be loudest.
“In appreciating the current challenges enumerated above and the urgency for Ndigbo to equally reset and exploit the opportunities therein, the 6th World Igbo Summit is being organized to harvest ideas and options going forward.
“The 6th World Igbo Summit shall have in attendance great sons and daughters of Ala-Igbo in the seven Igbo speaking states, Ndigbo in all parts of Nigeria and those in the Diaspora.
“It shall draw participation from Igbo leadership in Government, Politics, business, organized sector, captains of Industry, youths and women groups. Representatives of other Social Cultural groups such as PANDEF, Afenifere, World Yoruba Summit Group, Middle Belt Forum, Arewa Consultative Forum etc shall attend and deliver goodwill messages.
“If we tell you that we are not interested in the presidency of this country, then, we might not be telling you the truth. In all honesty, every man needs power because we have been out of power for a very long time although we may be divergent in the approach in most cases. World Igbo is a powerhouse and all we come there to do is to breed ideas…as a matter of fact, there will be an executive session where all the presidential Aspirants are going to meet and quietly discuss on the way forward. That is the first thing that will come before the conference itself starts.
“In most cases, we can’t bring all other together if we are playing individualistic politics but all of them have agreed to come to form a roadmap. Nobody is out there to fight anybody. What we need is how do we engage Nigerians. We have come to realize that the Igbo nation cannot be President on itself. We need other people. That’s part of the discussion. Thanks that’s why we have other cultural groups attending to this year’s edition.
“All we need is the intellectual power, better ideas, the strategy to relate with the Niger Delta, our brothers in the south-west, the area groups because we know basically that we can’t go and fight for the presidency, boxing Nigerians to give us president. We definitely have to work and network with them than benefit.
“We as Igbo must understand that for us to do it irrespective of the party you belong, everybody go your party fighting because, at the end of the day, no cultural groups give you a ticket. It is the party that will give you the ticket to contest the election. It is only when we at our respective parties that we can now say we are ready for it. So, I think, basically, this is part of the reason why we are meeting. We are removing our personal interest, come to the table and look at the pathway.”
Okwenna further revealed that the summit will witness the unveiling of a research document on how the Igbo will realize their presidential ambition.
“As a matter, there is research already done on the best way to achieve Nigeria’s presidency of Igbo extraction.