2023: Rivers Guber Aspirant Wants Presidency Zoned to South-east

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A governorship aspirant in Rivers State, Chief Williams Aleruchi, has urged all Nigerians, especially the federal government, to consider zoning the presidency to South-east region as the 2023 general election approaches.

According to Williams, zoning the presidency to the eastern part of the country will reduce the tension experienced in the area as a result of call for separation.

The gubernatorial aspirant, who spoke to THISDAY yesterday in Port Harcourt, was yet to mention the political party platform he would contest.

The former Mayor of Port Harcourt City was one of the governorship candidates that contested on the platform of Action Alliance (AA) in 2011.

Williams, a native of Ikwerre in Rivers State, noted that the Southeast has competent persons who can man the affairs of the country judging from their previous political and public offices.

According to him, “Let me anoint a core Southeast person as president. The federal government should allow regionalisation by allowing the six regions to federate, not allowing all powers at the same time, that is unnecessarily autocracy. The six regions should be able to run their affairs and control their natural resources. Crude oil should be controlled by the Niger Delta people.

“Let them consider, Peter Obi, Pius Anyim, Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, and other clean men from the East. Anything short of that then you are making the people believe that they don’t belong to Nigeria, and acrimony will remain for long.

“In fact I will advise the federal and the states to zone the presidency to the Southeast. What has the South easterners done since after the war? They should allow them so that we can have peace. If they give them the presidency, that will end the call for separation and others, and it should be for the core South-east.”