Igbo Presidency: Why the Southeast might benefit from the visit of Northern elders to OBJ

Since the race for the office of the president began in Nigeria, one of the main topics of debate has been on how possible it is for power to shift to the Southeastern region of the country in the upcoming general elections.

While there has been a tug-of-war between the North and the South on who produces the next president, prominent Igbo socio-cultural groups and politicians have continued to push for the right to have the next Commander-in-Chief come from the Southeast. A move that has so far not yielded much fruit among the country’s top two political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In the APC, the likes of David Umahi (Ebonyi) and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia) have declared interest to run for office. On the other hand, former Anambra governor, Peter Obi, and past Senate president, Anyim Pius Anyim have joined the presidential race on the platform of the PDP.

Across both parties, these candidates of Igbo stock are faced with very tough, formidable oppositions.

In the APC, fo example, Kalu and Umahi will have to go toe-to-toe with the very powerful and influential Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

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There have also been speculations that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is mulling the idea of taking a shot at the seat of the president as well. Should he join the race, the VP will make a very formidable opponent as well.

As for the PDP, Obi and Anyim are faced with the political man-mountain called Atiku Abubakar. There are also the likes of former Senate President Olubukola Saraki, former House of Rep speaker, Aminu Waziri, current governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed to contend with.

With these aforementioned opponents in the race, one might not be wrong to think that the chances of the Southeast emerging victorious at the polls are very slim unless a candidate from Igbo stock is chosen as a consensus candidate from either party. While it is very unlikely that such will happen in the APC, it could be a possibility in the PDP.

What is basically needed for this to happen in the PDP is for the Northern political block to support the move for the opposition party to pick a Southeastern candidate as its presidential flag bearer. How is this possible?

According to reports in the media, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo was recently visited by the leader of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Dango Abdullahi.

It was gathered that Abdullahi and his entourage went to see OBJ to strategize on the upcoming general elections and the way forward for Nigeria beyond 2023.

After the meeting, Prof. Abdullahi was quoted saying that the country is in serious need of a good outcome from the 2023 presidential election.

“I visited him (Obasanjo) to say hello and get a briefing from him on how he feels about the nation. We also briefed him on how we (NEF) feel about the nation.

We compared some notes and we agreed on some grounds,” Prof. Abdullahi said.

Interestingly, the NEF is regarded as one of the most influential bodies that make up the Northern political bloc.

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The group is also known to frown against the demands for power to be zoned to the South ahead of the 2023 presidential election. In fact, they are one of the major antagonists of the zoning ideology.

On the other hand, it has been reported that OBJ and his group of powerful retired army generals are not only in full support of power shifting to the south, they are also pushing for an Igbo presidency.

There are indications that the generals have decided to throw their weight behind the duo of Peter Obi and former CBN Deputy Governor, Professor Kingsley Mohgalu.

Judging by the comments made by the leader of the NEF after he met with OBJ, there might just be some light at the tunnel for the Southeast. Meaning that we might see an Igbo president emerge in 2023.

Whether Obasanjo has succeeded in convincing the Northern political bloc in joining his push for Obi or Moghalu, we have to wait and see.