Former Anambra governorship aspirant and renowned industrialist, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has urged for an agreement to allow the Southeast to hold the presidency first under a proposed single six-year rotational presidency in Nigeria.
Obidigbo, speaking at a press briefing in Awka over the weekend, warned that without a clear mandate for the rotation to start from the Southeast, the constitutional review could lead to violent confrontation and friction in the country.
He asserted that the planned constitutional review could become a blueprint for further delaying Igbo integration in an open and egalitarian society if long-standing issues of Igbo marginalization are not addressed directly.
Obidigbo stressed that the ongoing marginalization of the Igbo people threatens Nigeria’s democracy.
He noted that since the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1970, there has been a systematic effort to suppress the Igbo nation, despite their efforts to build bridges with other tribes.
He criticized the recent celebration of 25 years of democracy by members of the National Assembly for failing to address the equitable distribution of political power, calling it a stark reminder of the injustices faced by the Igbo people.
“It is troubling that despite the creation of six geopolitical zones, which were intended to provide equal opportunities and inclusive leadership, the Southeast has not been supported to produce the president of this country,” he said.
“This imbalance in leadership highlights the political disparity in the allocation of states per zone. While other zones have as many as seven or six states each, the Southeast is left with only five.
This is disheartening considering the national resources are allocated on a state-by-state basis.”
Obidigbo also emphasized that the Nigerian state’s actions towards isolating the Igbo people as a policy to ensure unity are misguided.
He urged Igbo leaders to focus on the Igbo cause, suggesting that both the constitution review and the upcoming national census would test their leadership skills and historical understanding.
He called for a move away from primitive accumulation towards deep, creative thinking about establishing a just society, particularly for the Igbo people.
