Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has said that the South East is not blackmailing any region for the nation’s top job, contrary to some insinuations.
Speaking to State House Correspondents on Tuesday, after a thank-you visit to President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Umahi said the entire country supported the South West in 1999.
According to Umahi, he wondered why fairness and equity cannot play out in the South East’s quest for the 2023 presidency.
He said that the south as a whole made a demand that the presidency should rotate between the north and south.
He said: “We were all part of that meeting on the side of the southern governors. But some of us, you know, thought it was a collective request. And it was, you know, a sincere and genuine request and we believe it is.
“But we also thought that they had south east in mind, since south east has supported Southwest for eight years and supported south south for six years. And this was the thoughts that the southeast, you know, had in mind.
“But when the game became on, and a lot of people from Southwest, a lot of people from south south and their numbers in each of these regions, you know, are even more than that of south east.
“Our people became suspicious of this collective request and agitation. And so they’re demanding that if the basis of asking for presidency to come to the south, is on the platform of that equity, justice and fairness, that on moral ground that South east should have the right of first refusal.
“But that is not the case. And so a lot of people are beginning to think that in the first place, it was not a genuine demand. And it wasn’t based on fairness, equity and justice. And that it could be termed to be blackmail.
“And so our position is that look, if everybody from the south is going to be vying for this, then, why is it that everybody from the north, you know, who wishes not join to vie for it. Meaning that we’ve jettison the so called equity, justice and the fairness, and there will be jettisoning zoning.
“And so I wouldn’t know how anybody else outside south east and maybe north east, will be talking about equity, fairness and justice, if such a person is also contesting.
“So that platform could be termed to be, a ploy to deceive or in another language, a blackmail.
“Our position remains that it is the turn of south east, if it is to rotate between north and the south. And if it is thrown open on the basis of these two regions, North East and the Southeast, then they’ll have equal steak, if we’re talking about justice, equity and fairness. But if that’s not what we’re talking, then it will be immoral for Southeast people to join.
“And we will continue to demand for Southen President, I think they should come out of that dream and begin to ask for south east presidency.”
