Presidency: South East should wait for 2027 – Dokpesi

Leader of the Technical Committee for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has said that the South East region should allow his principal to take a shot at the Presidency under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform in 2023.

Dokpesi also disclosed that should Atiku become the PDP presidential flag bearer and eventually emerge President in the 2023 poll, he would do only a single term to complete the tenure of late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua.

According to Dokpesi, in the presidential rotation in Nigeria, only the North East and South East were yet to taste the Presidency, adding further that if Atiku from the North East is allowed to go in 2023, he would leave office after a single term of four years, which he stated, would pave the way for Ndigbo to produce the President in 2027.

Dokpesi spoke with newsmen in Umuahia, Monday when he visited the Abia State chapter of the PDP for consultation with the party’s leadership. 

Last October, the Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communication, had put out a statement, saying that Nigerians cannot trust an Igbo person as a president.

He had averred in that statement that leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu would deploy his militancy to blackmail any Igbo man elected as president and force him to declare Republic of Biafra.

When reminded of his earlier statement, Dokpesi denied hating Ndigbo, adding that he has never been against the emergence of a Nigerian President from the South East.

“I have my personal relationship with the people of the South East; they have capable and knowledgeable people that can become President of the Country. See, in my considered opinion, the North has, in the PDP, a rotation plan from 2019-2027 and I believe it is the surest bet and shortest cut to South Eastern Presidency,” he said.

He maintained that Atiku, who hails from the North East geo-political zone, was the right person to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government.

Dokpesi, revealed that the PDP zoning arrangements was not honoured during the 2015 presidential election, consequently the party went into the election with a divided house and lost.

He assured that the PDP would zone the presidency to the South East and ensure that the zone produces the president in 2027.

“Our party believes in rotation of the office of president between the North and South for two terms of eight years, according to the Nigeria constitution.

“That was why former President Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to Umaru Yar’Adua, but after his death, former President Goodluck Jonathan, took over and completed his first term.

“Jonathan, also ask for another four years which was given to him, but when he started asking for another term in 2015, the North felt it was against the zoning agreement of the party.  

“So we went for into the election with a divided house and we lost. That is why we have reasoned that for us to wrestle power from APC, we need a strong presidential candidate from the North.

“Since it is believed that North East and South East are the two geo-political zones that have not produced the president, we felt that Atiku, coming from the North East is a strong candidate for the job,” Dokpesi said.

Responding, the Abia PDP chairman, Chief Alwell Asiforo, assured the team that the party was open to consultations and would always listen to all those with aspirations who visit the state.