Presidency 2023: Uzodimma dumps Igbo demand for zoning, aligns with Senate President Lawan

It has become the obvious that Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has dumped the southeast agitation for zoning of the 2023 president to the region. Several southeast leaders have maintained very low voices or pacific silence since the agitation for Igbo president began. Many of the Igbo leaders had been working behind the scenes in alliance with the northern elites and presidential aspirants and became exposed at the crucial stage of the emergence and documentation of the presidential aspirants in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State showed up as a top supporter of an APC presidential aspirant, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, from northeast Nigeria, accompanying Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State to the APC collection centre at the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuja, to submit the presidential expression of interest and nomination forms of Senate President Ahmad Lawan last Friday.

Governor Uzodinma’s open support for the senate president indicated that he is going to mobilise Imo State delegates for Lawan at the APC national convention. Some stakeholders have argued that the Imo governor’s alliance with Senate President Lawan is defeatist of Igbo leaders’ agitation for rotation of the president to the southeast in 2023.

Presidential aspirants from the southeast include Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, former Minister of Science and Technology, former Minister of State for Education, Nwajuba, and others.

The Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, had earlier withdrawn from the presidential race, giving his support to Senate President Lawan, like Governor Uzodinma. Also, Dr. Chris Ngige, former Minister of Labour and Employment, had withdrawn from the presidential race after his resignation from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the order of President Muhammadu Buhari, and subsequently withdrew his resignation last Friday.

A coalition of supports identified as National Stability Project had bought the N100 million APC presidential forms for the Senate President Lawan last Monday.