A former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday said Igbo presidency could only be achieved in 2023 through dialogue.
Speaking at the 2020 edition of the Brandish Meeting of Minds Colloquium in Abuja, he stated that a unilateral decision to make an ethnic group as the number one citizen of the country would be ill-advised.
His statement came on the heels of the defection of Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, to APC which many political commentators see as a move for a South-east presidency in 2023 by the party.
“There is a clamour for an Igbo presidency today but I believe that it can only be realised when we engage ourselves in conversation with other Nigerians to buy into this initiative.
“There can’t be a unilateral imposition of any ethnic group on the rest of us in this country. It is only dialogue and conversation that can bring equity to all parts of the country,” he said.
Commenting on the clamour for a change of Nigeria’s constitution, Ekweremadu noted that the only way to achieve that is through referendum as there are no clearly spelt out processes in the constitution that provide for that.
“On the call for change in the 1999 Constitution, unless you are calling for anarchy that can’t be achieved. There must be a process for a new constitution to come into force and that process is not contained in the 1999 Constitution,” he said.
On his part, the convener of the colloquium, Mr Ikem Okuhu, emphasised the need for more citizen engagement in democratic governance.
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