My Administration Has Been Fair to Southeast, Says President Buhari
- President Muhammadu Buhari has cleared the air on his performance recorded in the southeast during the 2019 polls
- The president claimed that the poor results did not affect his contribution to the development of the region
- Buhari said his regime has built roads, and a second Niger bridge, and has continued to protect lives and property in the region
FCT, Abuja - President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that despite the number of votes he garnered from the southeast in the 2019 presidential election, his administration has been equitable in the distribution of projects and amenities to the region.
The president made the comment in Abuja on Thursday, April 28 through his media aide, Femi Adesina, at the public presentation of a book written by a former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie.
Source: Twitter
Prominent Igbo politicians grace Okorie's book launch in Abuja
The Guardian newspaper reports that the event was attended by the former chairman of the Police Service Commission, Chief Simeon Okeke; Managing Director of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, and the minister for labour and employment, Senator Chris Ngige.
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
Also in attendance were the national chairman of APGA, Edozie Njoku; former aviation minister, Osita Chidoka; former Anambra state governorship aspirant, Azuka Okwuosa, and a former governorship candidate in Imo state, Uche Nwosu among others.
Buhari further said:
“Okorie tried to bring his people to our side; he visited me with some illustrious Igbo sons and pledged to rally the Igbo behind me in 2019 so that the nature of politics and political alliances in the region will change.
“I appreciated and still appreciate his wise decision. If Okorie succeeded, that is for historians to decide after studying the results of the 2019 poll.
“The results are out there and when we study those results, it will help us to know whether what Okorie wanted for the Igbo nation was what came to pass.
“Irrespective of the results we recorded, seeing what we have done in that part of the country. We have built roads, we have built the second Niger bridge, we still try to maintain security there and many others. We will do our best for every part of the country, we are one nation under God.”
2023: Okorie asks southeast to flex their political muscles ahead of polls
Speaking at the event, Okorie urged Ndi-Igbo to use their numerical strength to their political advantage in the forthcoming 2023 elections.
Daily Independent newspaper quoted him as saying:
“Ndigbo have what it takes to become a very critical factor in the Nigerian power equation going forward. The time to take control of our political destiny in Nigeria is now.”
2023: Northern Nigeria may produce APC, PDP candidates during presidential poll
Meanwhile, a recent report has revealed that the north may produce the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); and some of the top parties.
According to the report, with fewer northern aspirants, a division of southern votes at the presidential primaries could throw up northern candidates in both the APC and PDP.
A top northern politician quoted in the report said the north has 70 percent of the votes and would not give it to candidates who don’t understand the problem of northern Nigeria.
2023: Arewa elites applying divide-and-rule to stall power shift - Southern groups
In a related development, leaders of Afenifere, Pan Niger Delta Forum and Middle Belt Forum, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Edwin Clark, and Prof. Bitrus Pogu, on Monday, April 25 accused the north of plotting to abort shifting power to the south.
The groups stressed that after eight years of Buhari’s presidency, nothing short of zoning the presidency to the southeast would resolve the restiveness in the country.
They, therefore, enjoined the two major political parties, the governing APC and PDP, to cede their presidential tickets for the 2023 poll to the southeast geopolitical zone for peace, unity, and stability of the country.
Source: Legit.ng
