An Igbo cultural association, the World Igbo Peoples Assembly (WIPAS), has initiated a fund-raising project to mobilise $2 billion (about N920 billion) to actualize the emergence of the 2023 presidential candidate from the southeast.

The Public Relations Officer of WIPAS, Emeka Nwachukwu,  had last week argued that the Igbo should be given the opportunity to produce the president in 2023; discoing that the Igbo Assembly is prepared to  raise $2 billion for the emergence of the 2023 presidential candidate from the southeast.

He expressed optimism that Ndigbo and Nigerians worldwide are prepared to fund the Igbo President initiative.

Nwachukwu revealed that the WIPAS is compiling list of notable elder statesmen and stakeholders in the country for consultation and lobby for the southeast president. He disclosed that elder statesmen like retired General Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, General Ishola Williams, Chief Edwin Clark, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Chief Ebenezar Babatope, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Alhaji Buba Galadima, Tanko Yakassai, among others are considered for consultation in the demand for a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari from the southeast.

Some Igbo interests are considering the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as suitable presidential candidate from the southeast. Some others are looking in the direction of Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State on the platform of the Peoples democratic Party (PDP). More so, Senator Uzor Orji Kalu, former Abia State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, former Imo governor, are also under consideration.

Ogbonnaya Onu was the presidential candidate of the All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999 before the APP/AD (Alliance for Democracy) alliance for a joint candidate to battle the PDP represented by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Onu had to step down for the AD presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae, to allow for all southwest presidential candidate as was the consensus in 1998 for power shift to the southwest.

Rochas has been in the race for some years. Orji Kalu’s profile has been rising since he defected to the APC.

There are insinuations that Governor Umahi may defect to the APC from the PDP, probably for the presidential project.