by Chi Ibe

Towards the 2015 general Presidential election in Nigeria, Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo, recently informed the newly created All Progressives Congress, APC, that it will not support them unless their presidential candidate was from the South-East geopolitical zone.

According to reports, the Publicity Secretary of the Ohanaeze, Osita Oganah, said the group would not restrict its lobbying to a political party, adding that presidential aspirants from the region would be encouraged to realise the Igbo presidency ambition.

He went on to criticise the president of the Young Igbo Christian Ministers Congress and General Overseer of the House of God International Church, Athan Azubuike who had asked the region to drop any presidential bid until after 2019.

In a separate interview, governor of Anambra State in the Second Republic, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, held that the South-East region was ready to discuss the 2015 presidency with President Goodluck Jonathan.

Ezeife said there was a plan for the Igbos to vote for President Jonathan if he decided to run for second term but under the condition that he in turns supports the South-East presidency in 2019, a plot he allegedly tagged; “a game of cooperation”.

“If Jonathan will go for a second term, we will meet with him. If he will contest without destroying the democratic structure, we will support him. If he wins, we’ll ask him to support us. Then, it will be win-win, not win-lose or lose-lose,” Ezeife said.

APC is a merger of four opposition parties that include; All Nigeria Peoples Party; All Progressives Grand Alliance; Congress for Progressive Change; and Action Congress of Nigeria.

Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo, All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate , South-East geopolitical zone