A former Commissioner for Information, Tourism and Public Utilities in Imo State, Vitalis Ajumbe, has said the South East should forget the agitation for 2023 presidency.
The region, he explained, should rather pursue the Vice- Presidential slot and build from there.
He spoke in an interview in Abuja, saying the Igbo people are not united enough politically to present a candidate for president in 2023.
The ex-commissioner said although the region has a right to aspire for the position in 2023, he questioned how prepared the people of the region are.
Ajumbe said: “My zone that is south east if we say okay every other zone should not field a candidate for presidency let the south east; the Igbos are not united politically. They will fight themselves.
“They have the right to aspire for the presidency in 2023 but how prepared are they? How many of them can come out and say ‘I want to run’? How many of them have shown interest.?
“An Anambra will not want an Imo man to emerge as a president. Instead, they will spoil it. Anything good, if it doesn’t come from Anambra then it is scattered. They wouldn’t want someone from Abia. They may not support somebody from Ebonyi and they will not support somebody from Enugu.
“Who is the rallying point of the Igbos? Is it the Ohaneze? How many of them believe in Ohaneze? Who will call a meeting in Igboland and everybody will attend and say okay, this is what we want, let us present this candidate.? It will never happen in Igboland. So how else can we make it.?
“The only way I think we can make it is when an Igbo man is made the Vice President so that that Vice President will now be a rallying point. But it is something we must discuss and agree on the way it will go.”
He also said the country should discard the zoning of the president, adding that it brings mediocrity.
The former commissioner noted that the zoning of political positions has destroyed the country’s democracy.
According to him, Nigerians should vote for someone who can bring good governance in 2023, irrespective of the zone the person comes from.
“What we need in Nigeria today is good governance irrespective of where it comes from. Because as a person I believe in good governance. I don’t really cherish zoning because what destroyed Nigeria today is this zoning thing; when you say it must go to the South – East, it must go to North West and it must go to North- Central.
“Why can’t we rally round and get somebody that can govern the country very well? If you look at the time of M.K O Abiola, a Muslim, Babagana Kingibe a Muslim, we didn’t mind that this was a Muslim – Muslim ticket and we voted massively for Abiola because we felt he would give us good governance.
“If we can still have that kind of spirit, irrespective of where the person comes from, even if the person is the younger brother of Buhari (the President), provided he is going to give us good governance because zoning brings mediocracy.
“I don’t actually cherish that. It won’t give Nigeria what we need. Let us allow merit to play and that merit will play when we have good electoral system-that is the only way I know merit will play,” he said.