The resignation of a former Governor or Anambra State, Peter Obi, from the Peoples Democratic Party has provoked more anxiety over the chances of Igbos to produce Nigeria’s president.
Obi was a leading aspirant in the PDP until he dramatically quit, as he announced on Wednesday.
A group, Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), has for instance said that the withdrawal from the presidential race was a devastating blow on the South-East producing president in 2023.
The President of CRRAN, Mr Olu Omotayo, said on Thursday in Enugu, “With Obi’s resignation, the chance of Igbos in getting president is very slim as party recognised in Nigeria is PDP and the chances of other Igbos in the ruling APC is also a bit slim.
“We expected that the two leading political parties in the country will give ticket to a person from the South-East,” he said.
He explained that when it came to Nigeria, Obi was the dominant figure and his withdrawal showed there was no level playing ground and because of his reputation, he saw no need of wasting his time to contest.
The president noted that many political parties are misapplying the provision of the Electoral Act on consensus candidate by scuttling the whole process.
“It is not only about Obi as some political parties lack integrity by giving preference to certain aspirants against others,” he said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, he, however, advised Igbos to go back to the drawing board to give necessary support to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
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He said they should allow the party have a national spread, stressing that the region had supported PDP massively abandoning their own.
Meanwhile, a retired Lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dr Edwin Morah, also called Obi to go back and build APGA into regional party.
According to him, on the basis of that they can negotiate for national relevancy as Igbos lack it.
Morah, who lectures at the Psychological Department of the University, described Obi as a nice guy but advised him to help in building APGA into Igbo party.
“The former governor should go back and support Gov. Chukwuma Soludo and other APGA stakeholders in taking the party to the next level by building it and developing the state.
“They should make APGA win the states in the zone and by then, they will have what is called regional agenda,” he advised.
Morah, the Chairman of Mgborogwu Ndi Igbo, a group that promotes Igbo’s Science and Technology, said there was no way Igboman would be allowed to contest using the two major political parties in Nigeria.
“Peter Obi must have seen something that he cannot condone and resigned.
“Igbos should get their Permanent Voters Cards as thousands are yet to be collected and vote credibly as well as vote according to their conscience,” he advised.
He, however, called for the coming together of other smaller political parties to form stronger party like APC did in 2015 to take over power from APC and PDP in 2023.
