April 1, 2022

A South East leadership group – Ahamefuna – has demanded that all political parties zone their presidential ticket to the south eastern zone of Nigeria.

This was one of the outcomes of their meeting and press conference held Thursday in Enugu.

Below is the full text of the communique:

At the end of AHAMEFUNA 11 press conference, held at The Kobb Event Centre, GRA. Enugu on the 31^st of March 2022, the following conclusions were reached.

1. A strong demand, for the various political parties to zone the presidential ticket of their parties to the south eastern Zone of Nigeria.
2. This demand is predicated on the fact that the zone has not produced a President of Nigeria, except for only Six months. It has also not produced an elected Prime Minister or President since Nigerian Independence in 1960.
3. The South East has suffered monumental marginalization of the zone since after the civil war. This marginalization has reached new levels in the last seven years. What can Ndi-Igbo do_­­
4. The South East leaders noted that Nigeria has a zoning and rotational culture for the Presidency of Nigeria. This agreement on rotational Presidency was reached at the 1995 Constitutional Conference. That rotation favours Southern Nigeria at the end of Gen Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.
5. When that Presidency rotates to southern Nigeria, the zone that most deserves it is the South East, as other zones have occupied the seat before.
6. The meeting noted that the South East has many persons with the capacity, patriotism and passion to govern Nigeria.
7. That a president from the South East will usher in unity, peace and progress in Nigeria. A president from the South East will guarantee the cessation of agitation by youths for breakup of the Nigerian state.
8. That our case is sufficiently self evident and persuasive to jolt the conscience of the Nation to do justice to our people
9. That citizens of the South East , across all parties must work in unity to achieve the objective of South East Presidency in 2023
10. That political leaders of the South East should not, under any circumstances, compromise the determination of the South East to get the Presidency of Nigeria in 2023.

11. That the people of the South East shall view with sternness, any South Easterner who works against this resolve