Ndigbo not keen on 2023 presidency, says leaders

Igbo leaders , under aegis of Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT ), led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze, yesterday , declared that Nd ’ Igbo were not interested in producing the president of Igbo extraction for the country in 2023 .
Rather , the group said what mattered to the people was the restructuring of the country for the enthronement of good governance , stressing that the rancour over leadership would be subdued when an effective system is put in place.
Apparently responding to a recent statement credited to the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF ), Boss Mustapha , that Igbo need to vote President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 to enhance their turn in 2023 , the leaders said allocating power to any section of the country would amount to nothing with the present constitution in place.
“ What is the need asking for power in a disintegrated and disunited country being foisted on us with the present system ? What we are asking for and interested in is the restructuring of the country to usher in true federalism .
“ With that , there will be less tension over leadership and people will no longer be bothered about where the leader comes from or who the leader is . The way the country is structured , it is bound to continue to witness more frictions if not restructured. We need to restructure to attain true federalism and a good governance system based on rule of law , ” they added.
Addressing Journalists shortly after ILT ’ s two - day meeting in Enugu , Deputy Leader of the group , Prof Chinweite Ejike , said they were worried with the trend of events in the country .
He disclosed that the meeting undertook serious review of the security situation , especially the frequent killings in parts of the country and herdsmen /farmers clashes over control of land and resources .
“ The meeting observed that enough was not being done by the Federal Government to stop the uprisings . There is need to scale up intelligence monitoring to check further waste of lives and resources .
“ The killings in the country have assumed a genocidal dimension and unless the issue of proper protection is being addressed , the country is as good as assumed , to be a failed state , ” the leaders remarked .
While noting that fight against corruption , a cardinal objective of the Federal Government, may have been abandoned with the scale of lopsided appointments and distribution of amenities in the country , ILT said some sections of Nigeria , particularly the Igbo have been seriously marginalized .
It noted with dismay the use of public funds not budgeted or appropriated by certain government agencies and officials, stressing that it was tantamount to political corruption , just as it view with dismay alleged use of state power in pursuit of personal interests .
The leaders reviewed the proscription of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB ) by the Federal Government and called for it to be de - proscribed , saying, “we do not see anything that is wrong with one agitating for freedom in his own country . ”