2023: Igbo Must Negotiate With North, Says Ekweremadu

• Ike Ekweremadu, 2023 Presidential election

A former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Wednesday, said the South-East geo-political zone could realise its quest for producing the Nigerian President if it negotiated with northern Nigeria.

He equally appealed to the Federal Government to find new ways to tackle the mounting security and economic challenges confronting the country, Ekohotblog gathered.

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Ekewerenmadu said this while speaking at the 2020 edition of the Brandish Meeting of Minds Colloquium, titled, “Beyond branding: Engineering a citizens-led proposition for Nigeria’s national cohesion and global positioning,” and public presentation of a book: “Brands Pitch: Debunking Marketing’s Strongest Myths”, written by a Public Relations practitioner, Ikem Okuhu.

The federal lawmaker said, “There is clamour for Igbo presidency today. And I believe it can only be realised if we engage ourselves in conversation with northern Nigeria to buy into our initiative.

There can never be a universal decision of any ethnic group and the rest of us in this country.

It is only dialogue and conversation that can be equity to all parts of the country.”

Ekweremadu described as sad a situation where elected leaders disappear from public view soon after they are voted or appointed into public office.

He said Nigerians were hardly consulted on basic policies, including electricity tariff, fuel pump price and tax increases which have direct consequences on their lives.

Speaking about the level of insecurity in the country, Ekweremadu said, “Nigerians have been offering solutions towards taming the rising wave of criminality.

These include: calls for decentralised policing, of which I am a proponent and also have a bill to that effect currently before the Senate.

“Unfortunately, it appears the government is bent on doing the same thing over and over, but ironically hoping to get a different result.”

Also speaking, the author, Okuhu, announced the setting up of a quarterly initiative aimed at improving citizens’ engagement.

Source: Punch