2023: Northern group drums support for Igbo president

The Association of Arewa Community in Igboland has called for support for the emergence of an Igbo person as president of Nigeria in the 2023 General Elections.

Its National President, Alhaji Mohammed Umaru, who made the appeal at a news briefing on Sunday in Umuahia, described the Igbo people as “accommodating”. Umaru harped on the unity of the country and stated that it was important to support the Igbo people actualise their presidential ambition come 2023.According to him, the group is a non-political organisation, made up of members from all the northern states living in the South-East geo-political zone.

“The North, West and South-South have all ruled the nation as executive president.“This is the time we should give our consent for an Igbo executive president. “Our people should give them benefit of the doubt to lead the country in the next political dispensation and if they perform well we can allow them a second chance.“We, all the northern people living in Igbo land are highly in support of an Igbo executive president.

“Here, we live and earn our living in Igbo land and we will like to continue to live as an indivisible entity to work and operate our businesses,” he said. He, therefore, appealed to the Igbos to unite and produce a detribalised person that would contest the 2023 presidential election.

He said the group had begun consultations and expressed optimism that other political zones would support the agenda.He sued for peace and called for a replica of the founding fathers’ attitude for the unity and progress of the nation.“We should not fan the ambers of hatred because where there is war, nothing is secured,” he cautioned.