"If Nigerians truly believe in the oneness of the Country,  justice and equity, they  should all join hands to ensure the  Country's next President  is of Igbo extraction", says the  Chairman of the Igbo Traditional Council in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja,  Dr Uche Egenti (Eze Udo Abuja).

On the flipside, he reiterated that should the north come up in 2023 to seek for the Presidency again,  it's an invitation to anarchy; " Should South West come up again, it's an invitation to anarchy; Should South-South seek the Presidency, it's an invitation to anarchy.

"So 2023 is not negotiable for President of Igbo extraction. I hope those that I know will listen. Let PDP field an Igbo for the Presidency, let APC field an Igbo,  let Labour Party field an Igbo presidential candidate and let APGA field an Igbo presidential candidate, let some of them come together as a party for the sake of peace, equity and justice, let these political parties field Igbo and then allow us to make our choice."  Egenti  asserted at the weekend during an interaction with journalists  in his Abuja palacce

He maintained that "The Yoruba has produced Obasanjo and today the producing Osinbajo as president and vice president respectively,  the South South produced Jonathan for six years vice president and president. The north produced Yar'Adua for two years and is producing Buhari for 8 years"

He, however arguef  that "parochial interest and Igbo's provincial" ways of doing things will become a setback to actualizing the project, but averred  that unity of purpose would facilitate the quest. 

"And the reason why we are not growing politically is because we are very parochial, because we are not metropolitan, I keep talking about it. The moment we leave our provincial method of doing things, we will grow. 

"I spoke to our people and I told them long before now that I want us to reason like the Yoruba. Look at the last Senatorial bye election in Katsina, wherein two blood brothers- one PDP,  one APC,  the same father, the same mother-  contested that election and the people made their choice and there was no quarrel, there was no fight. When they finished, the elder went to embrace the younger."

"But you see, because of our nature - there is no love in Igboland and I want you 
 challenge me. We lie to one another, we run one another down, we don't pray for one another's growth because of the nature of where we come from, our people have not received good love. 

"I come from Imo, Its not possible to see an Anambra man become a councillor in my village, you know it can't happen, let us tell ourselves some home truth. No Anambra man will accept an Enugu man to be councillor in his village. You saw what our governors did when they entered office, an Enugu man working in Abia was sacked and asked to go home, an Abia man working in Enugu was sacked, an Anambra working in Imo was sacked.  

"But you will agree with me that Bola Tinubu governed Lagos state and he is from Osun state. The commissioners that served Lagos State,  some of them were not from Lagos. They were commissioners under Bola Tinubu, Aregbesola and others, even Igbos benefitted. Even in this session, we have Igbos in the House Assembly. 

"But in the South-East, Imo people feel that they are more educated than any other person in the South East, an Anambra person feels that he has more money than any other person in the south east. If we can come as a people, let us agree that a time comes when we come together as a family, as a unit, and collectively we can begin to promote our quest for the president of Igbo extraction. 

Egenti opined that  media organisations in Nigeria portray the Igbo cause in bad light, and lamented that the absence of media entrepreneurs  in Southeast, stressing  that without the media,  it is impossible to prosecute the Igbo presidency project. 

"Most worrisome is that the media does not portray us in good light why because we don't invest in media. Let our rich men invest in media. We prefer provision shops and spare parts to media. But if you go to South West and South South, they spend so much energy,  so much resources in media." 

He furthet pleaded with  Ndigbo to show more interest and involvement in governmental structures and machinery  in the country. "I want to plead with Ndigbo again to be involved in governmental  processes. If you don't join the police force, you cannot become a commissioner of police, if you don't join the civil service, don't expect to become a permanent secretary in the civil service, if you don't join the military, don't expect to have a General. 

"Tell our people to be involved in institutional processes, that's the only way we can participate in the administration, that's the only way we can grow. Anytime they want the Igboman to fill the slot of an IGP or police commissioner, there's no way they can settle for a container dealer in Aba. If we join the  Army, Customs, Civil Service, Police and so on, we will grow. If we don't,  we will not grow", he submitted.