South East has been excluded from leading Nigeria for 23 years — Ex-Abia Governor, Onu
By Amaike Ihuoma Okoronkwo, Port Harcourt
A former Governor of Abia State and a one-time APP presidential flag bearer, Dr. Ogbonnaya C. Onu, has challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northern Governor’s Forum for playing along the gallery at the just concluded APC presidential primary election that saw the emergence of Ahmed Bola Tinubu as the party’s flag bearer.
Onu, who is also a former minister of Science and Technology, said this while speaking to delegates at the Eagles Square in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory prior to casting of votes.
According to him, there is no justice, fairness and regional power balance in the decision to cede the power to the southern region and not the South East where such would consolidate, balance and as well integrate fairness in the party’s national agenda.
Dr. Onu opined that the APC came to the fore when he collapsed his already existing presidential ambition in 1999 after conceeding defeat from the two ‘Olu’s from the South West in the persons of former President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and Olu Falayei of the AD some 22 years ago.
In his analysis, “It would have been fair, fairer than fairness for the APC Northern governor’s of the party to show justice by being optimistic that the power should be given to the South East since it was South West that took the turn in 1999.”
He assured that if the onus had fallen on him to fly the party’s flag, he would have ensured that 2 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be utilised for science and technology related issues for the purposes of job creation for our Nigerian youths which is mostly needed to move the country forward.
Aside the dwindling Nigerian economy, the naira currency whose value at the foreign exchange market has dropped, Nigerians must rise to their responsibility to change the narrative since our naira at sometimes used to be higher than the dollar etc.
He expressed worries over the failure of the party leadership to grant him and the South Easterners the opportunity to field a presidential candidates from the party.
He reminded Nigerians that since the return to civil rule in 1999, “The North had the privileged to be president for 6 good years in the person of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the same North became the vice president for 6 and 8 years in the person of His Excellency Arch. Nemadi Sambo/ Atiku Abubakar consecutively.
“The South West also had produced a president in the person of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who served for 8 years, had produced a vice president who also served for 8 years in the person of Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo.
“Former President Goodkuck Ebele Jonathan from the South-South served for 6 years why is the South East excluded from being a president and a vice president for 23 year and beyond?
“We must ensure that injustice is dethroned. Mr. President would be completing his tenure of office by 29th of May, 2023. I think naturally it should be somebody from the South East that would replace him and that would give the opposite of South vs North and Christian vs Muslim and this would give stability to our nation and strengthen the unity of Nigeria.
“I am not saying this because I am from the South East, I personally some 23 years ago, made a personal sacrifice when we had three parties and I gave the preferential treatment as one of the three and I had to let it go in order to solve the problem of the South West to make sure that the two ‘Olus’ contested for the presidency and that one becomes the president and that brought down tension in the country and this is what would have happened if we allow the South East to produce same this time around.
“Look at it, the South West had 8 years as president, 8 years as Vice president, the South-South had 8 years as Vice president and 8 years as President. Where is the justice? Where is the justice? We need to do what is right.”
Responding to journalists at the event, a Nollywood actor Mr. Benedict Johnson expressed worries on how the few delegates from the ruling APC would be allowed to decide the faith of Nigerians of over 120 million people.
He faulted such policy and opined that every card carrying member of political parties be allowed to participate in the process.
He, however, commended the efforts of some aspirants who stepped aside for others in consolidation and that of the Northern governor’s who in the interest of many Nigerians, accepted to cede the power to the South.
“It is called politics, people should always step down for some people. I think that those who are stepping down are doing so because they believe that the people they are stepping down for are capable of taking the nation to the next level. The APC Northern governor’s have shown that have the interest of the nation at heart.
“The president who would be finishing his tenure by 2023 President Mohammadu Buhari is from the North and there are other tribes in the country also clamouring for the power. If another northerner takes over, the other ones might feel bad and the problem in the country would continue, they might also make it difficult for another government to proper govern the nation.”
