Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Barr. Kester Kaunda Ekwueme, a presidential aspirant in view, has urged Ngibo to speak with one voice and present as a united front.
Ekwueme, from Enugu State, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said this in a statement he made available to journalists, on Friday.
He said the only way the Southeasterners would get what they wanted politically in Nigeria was to speak with one voice.
He urged all their leaders to come together and decide what is in the best interest of the zone and Nigeria in general.
"The most important thing in any country is leadership, because leadership is key to everything in life and in nation building,” he said, calling Ndigbo to support all other aspirants of Igbo extraction, including His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi.
He declared that Peter Obi is the only Presidential candidate he would step down for “because Obi is the best candidate to lead Nigeria from 2027”.
Ekwueme urged leaders to speak with one voice because of his experience at the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom, in 2006.
“The University of Buckingham is one of the top UK universities for affluent Nigerians and also mentioned that his tuition fees was paid by the government as a result of good governance in the Western world and most Nigerian students (Governor's children, Atiku's son and other ex-Senators and ex-House of Representative members and so on) was paid indirectly by the Nigeria government.
According to him, "At the University of Buckingham in 2006, 70 percent of the Nigerian students then were from the South West, 20 percent from the Northern states, 6 percent from the South South and four percent or less from the South East.
“Then the students from the South Western and Northern states of Nigeria were saying that no Igbo person will be the President of Nigeria Society and that is what is happening indirectly today in Nigeria.
“Four percent of the students from the South East then were reasonably affluent and they decided to call for a meeting of all the Ndi Igbo at the University to choose between Barr. Ekwueme and one other person that was interested in the position of the President.
“At the end of several consultations and meetings, Barr. Kester Kaunda Ekwueme was chosen to be the Igbo candidate for the position of the President of the Nigeria Society.
“On the day of the election, surprisingly, there was no other candidate from the other ethnic groups of Nigeria and Ekwueme emerged the winner unopposed.
“Barr. Kester Kaunda Ekwueme became the first President of the Nigeria Society of The University of Buckingham, since the establishment of the University in 1976.
"The message here is to reiterate the power of togetherness and speaking with one voice and that Igbos are the greatest in Nigeria because they are less tribalistic and everywhere in Nigeria, developing Nigeria more than any other ethnic groups.
"In 2010 at the Nigeria Law School Abuja, Barr. Kester Kaunda Ekwueme also became the President of the Federation of Enugu State Law Students, unopposed,” he stated.
Ekwueme further stated that he had not experienced bad governance for more than 25 years of dwelling abroad and that was why he must support good governance and would offer it, stressing that if God willing, he had the opportunity to lead Nigeria or Enugu state any day.
He asserted that he would never be desperate for any political position or rig election to be in any political position because, according to him, “his father Chief, Prince TMT Ekwueme was a very decent, role model politician and can never rig election and that good fathers of the Nigeria nation must teach Nigerians to be great leaders by not rigging elections to start with.”
He also mentioned that he is an introvert that is very passionate about good government, governance and leadership.
Ekwueme prayed that the God Almighty will bless Ndi Igbo, Nigeria and Nigerians.
