Political leaders from the South East geopolitical zone met on Tuesday 5th January, 2021 at the camp Neya Igbere residence of the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate and former governor of Abia State Dr Orji Uzor Kalu.The meeting which has attendees across political parties was aimed at brainstorming the political future of the the South East zone visa-vis the 2023 general elections.

The South East leaders during the meeting observed that the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has rotated between Northern and Southern Nigeria and among the various geopolitical zones.Thus the South West and South-South geopolitical zones in the southern part of the country has produced the president of Nigeria.

The Igbo Political leaders opined that in view of this as power is expected to rotate to the South in 2023,the South-East is the only zone in the South that is yet to produce a President of Nigeria in the current democratic dispensation.

The South-East leaders having made this observation at the end of their meeting issued a communique which among other things demanded the following;

1. That Nigerians across political, ethnic, religious and geopolitical divides should support the people of the South-East geopolitical zone to produce a Nigerian President of South-East extraction as a mark of good faith and to promote justice and national harmony.

2. In the communique the South-East Political leaders also implore the political parties in Nigeria to cede their presidential tickets for the 2023 general elections to the South-East in the interest of justice ,equity and national unity .They further stated that to make good their demands and reciprocate such good faith,that the South East as a zone with substantial presence in every part of the country, they will give block vote and throw their full weight behind any major political party ,particularly the APC and PDP that zones it’s presidential ticket to the South-East zone in 2023 general elections.

3. The South East leaders through the communique stated that what they seek is a Nigerian President of South-East extraction, one that will work to further unite and develop every part of the country. They stated that such president will be president of all Nigerians irrespective of their political, ethnic and religious backgrounds,ensuring that all citizens and every part of the country is given a sense of belonging and treated with utmost sense of justice.

The South-East leaders further reminded all Nigerians of good faith ,that the South-East as a geopolitical zone has continued to demonstrate their commitment to the unity and development of the country. They further stated that not only has the geopolitical zone actively supported the emergence of Nigerian President from other geopolitical zones.They further reiterated that the people of the geopolitical zone are major agents of development and heavy investors outside their zones as well as next in population after the indigenes of any state in Nigeria.

Those who attended the summit includes Former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim,Former Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu,the host Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, Chief Chekwa Okorie, Honorable Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Honorable Ben Kalu among other Political leaders drawn from the PDP and APC who hails from the South East geopolitical zone.