The South-East geo-political zone will not accept the vice-presidential slot from any political party in the 2023 presidential race, according to some prominent Igbo leaders.
They also warned Igbo governors and other prominent politicians in the All Progressives Congress, (APC), and Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), to resist any pressure to be the running mate of any candidate in the presidential election.
The admonition followed claims that some politicians of South-East extraction, especially governors, are positioning for the vice-presidential slot instead of pushing hard for the Igbo presidency.
At the moment, five people from the zone have declared for the presidency while others expressed interest but are yet to formally declare.
Those who have formally made their intention known include Ebonyi State governor, Chief Dave Umahi, former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, ex-Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, (NESG), Sam Ohuabunwa, and Nollywood actor, Yule Edochie.
Others that are reportedly interested in the race are Sen. Orji Kalu and Sen Rochas Okorocha.
Apart from them, some other South-East governors are believed to be interested in running for Vice President. According to observers, their positions on happenings in the zone had long been interpreted to have been informed by their ambitions.
Cautioning the presidential hopefuls against settling for less in the interest of the South-East, the Igbo leaders said that current deep-seated mistrust among Nigerians can only be addressed by the Igbo presidency.
Prominent among those who spoke was the First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, who called on APC and PDP to present people of Igbo extraction as presidential candidates.
According to him, the office of the Vice-President of Nigeria should not be an option any politician from the South-East should be interested in.
He added that he does not expect any serious politician from the South-East to accept the offer of being the Vice-President of Nigeria.
