By Baron Ike
President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajon were conspicuously absent at the mega rally organised by the South East All Progressive Congress (APC) to demonstrate their strength and support base ahead of the 2019 general election.
Consequently, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has mocked the APC for pulling off a rally where the man, the reason for the rally was conspicuously absent with his deputy.
The event which held at the Dan Anyiam stadium in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Tuesday had in attendance, the new National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, the Deputy National Chairman South, Niyi Adebayo, The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, former People’s Democratic Party (PDP), National Chairman, Ali Modu Sherriff, South East APC Zonal Chairman, Emma Enukwu, among others.
The SGF who represented Buhari told the Igbo that their vote for Buhari in 2019 will determine when they will produce a president, the usual blackmail comments the North and South West politicians make when they are seeking for votes from the Ndigbo.
Nigeria is yet to have a president of Igbo extraction since the return of democracy in 1999 .
Addressing the crowd, Mustapha said the 2019 election will either make or break the chances of the people from the south-east in producing a president.
His words: “The people of the south-east have the right to make a claim to the rulership of this country,” he said.
“2019 will make or mar the aspiration of Igbo nation. I am calling on the Igbo to make a paradigm shift and think seriously of their position.
“The presidency of Nigeria is negotiable and can only be done on position of strength and the strength of the Igbo will be determined by 2019 support for Buhari.
“You are important in this nation, you control industries, you control trade and commerce, you control every process of our entrepreneurship. I appeal to you, the skills you’ve used in the past to be prominent in this area, bring it to bear in the political arena so that you can navigate your way to the presidency of this country after the second tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Mustapha said the Igbo might not be good starters, but when they catch up, they have the capacity to overtake.
“I assure you that the Igbo people will overtake other parts of the country by 2019,” he said.
He also noted that out of the five ministers appointed by Buhari from the South East, four are of ranking positions— only one is a minister of state.
Many believe the host Governor Rochas Okorocha, used the rally to assemble his friends and cronies as most of the key APC chieftains from the South East, and Imo State in particular did not show up.