Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Mr. Osita Okechukwu

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has called on APC, and PDP to adopt Igbo Presidency for 2023.

Okechukwu spoke with journalists on Sunday, said if APC and PDP produced Igbo presidential candidates in 2023, it would solve the “prevalent gun-box democracy” and return “ballot box democracy” to Nigeria.

He appealed while reacting to issues on the country’s democracy and the 2023 presidential election in Enugu state. He urged the two dominant political parties to adopt the Falae/Obasanjo model by fielding an Igbo presidential candidate.

According to him, the adoption of Igbo Presidency is the only way to have a peaceful 2023 presidential election and save Nigeria’s ‘threatened’ democracy. He added that rotation of president among different regions is the ligament holding the country’s fledgling democracy.

Okechukwu said, “I have tremendous respect for His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, especially Tinubu, who more than anybody contributed the critical supplement to President Buhari’s 12 million vote-bank in 2015 which led us to victory.

“I also salute other prominent Nigerians who are angling to be president in 2023. However, Nigeria, our fatherland is bigger than any of us and her unity is of paramount importance.

“The Falae/Obasanjo model was founded in 1999, on equity, natural justice, and good conscience, with the sole objective of a harmonious and peaceful country. We may recall that in 1999, two Yorubas were fielded by national consensus under PDP and AD/APP alliance. That was the genesis of rotation of president between North and South.

“The destination was peace, unity, equity and good conscience. We need that now more than ever, especially now that Mr. President had denounced those fifth columnists who bandied 3rd Term.

“Igbo presidency is the recipe to create a sense of belonging and save Nigeria’s threatened democracy.”