Buhari Not Averse To Igbo Presidency – Maduekwe

The Director-General, Nigeria Film Corporation, Dr Chidia Maduekwe, says President Muhammadu Buhari is not averse to the emergence of his successor from the South-East geopolitical zone.
Maduekwe said this during an interaction with newsmen in his Ohafia country home to mark his 68th birthday, which fell formally on October 15.
He said it was mischievous for people to describe Buhari as a hater of the people of the South-East, adding that the president’s political antecedent pointed to the contrary.
“It is not true that the president does not want a president of Igbo extraction, rather he is supportive of the cause.
According to him, there is no way Buhari will hate Igbo people and in 2003 he picked late Chuba Okadigbo, an eminent Igbo man, as his presidential running mate.
“In 2007, he also selected another prominent Igbo man, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, as his running mate.
“It is possible that either of these two Igbo personalities could have succeeded him, if Buhari was elected in 2003 or 2007,” he said.
Maduekwe further said that the South-East had received a fair share of the president’s political appointments and distribution of development projects in the country with many Igbo already appointed into strategic offices by the president.
He cited the appointment of Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume (Imo) as the Chairman, Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
He also mentioned Mr Ogbugo Ukoha (Abia) as the Executive Director, Distributions System, Storage and Retail Infrastructure in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
He asked, “Why are we not celebrating these appointments of our people by the president and stop criticising him?
Maduekwe described the second Niger Bridge, which is nearing completion, as one of the multi-billion naira projects of the present administration.