South East Renaissance Assembly (SERA), has said that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, have zoned its 2023 presidential ticket to the southern part of country.
SERA which is made up of mainly Igbo politicians that belong to the All Progressives Congress, APC, said their party believes strongly in zoning of the Presidency.
The Assembly made the statement on Thursday, 7th April, 2022 at a World Press Conference held in Enugu.
In the address read by it’s National coordinator, Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu, he said they’re “a group of seasoned politicians contented with themselves and their respective relative success in life; people who are contented to be king makers rather than the king.”
According to Nweke, APC “have indeed zoned its 2023 presidential ticket to the south. To date, no member of APC from the North West or North East has declared interest to contest for the Presidency in 2023.
“We at SERA agree and identify with zoning of the presidential ticket and we further agree that it is the turn of the south east geopolitical zone to produce the next president of the country in 2023. We also recognize, that the destiny of Ndigbo lies with the choice they make and our role is to guide, protect and promote the collective interest of our people.”
Gbazuagu however, lamented the inability of other parties to make up their mind on zoning which he described “important factor” and “a necessary ingredient for holding this country together”, adding that: “The 1999 Constitution also recognizes the principles of Freedom, Equality and Justice as fundamental for consolidating the unity of our country.
Speaking further, he disclosed their readiness to partner with other Nigerians while assuring them of their willingness to keep to any commitment.
“We would like to seize this opportunity to extend our hand of friendship and partnership to other Nigerian nationalities of different political interests and persuasion. We wish to assure you that we will always honor our commitments and obligations in the spirit of justice, equity and fairness. We will always as a matter of principle reciprocate supports and favours on the basis of mutual respect and honour. “The Elephant doesn’t forget””.
Speaking on Youth restiveness, SERA expressed concern about their future and assured they will continue to advocate for them and said they won’t condone anybody using them as political thugs.
“SERA is also seriously concerned about the future of our youth who feel betrayed and abandoned, without jobs and without hope, despite our enormous natural resources. Our group will continue to advocate for our youth through various channels of influence to address youth restiveness largely due to high unemployment and under-employment.
“We will stand against our youth being used and abused as thugs during elections and dumped without adequate compensation or sustainable arrangement immediately after the elections. We will task every political aspirant seeking our support to show through their manifesto commitment, a bankable set of proposals to make a difference in the lives of our youth, anchored in a binding memorandum of understanding for the benefit of our youth.”
Some of the dignitaries at the event include past and serving Federal lawmakers, top government appointees at the federal level, past Commissioners and some state chairmen of the APC from South East.
