Senator Ike Ekweremadu has recommended dialogue between the south-east region and the northern region regarding the push for Igbo presidency in 2023.

Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President who has never hidden his support for Igbo presidency in 2023 spoke in Abuja on Wednesday during a book presentation.

In his view, major political parties should zone their presidential tickets to the South-East while the region should also engage in dialogue with other regions on the need for a president of Igbo extraction in 2023.

According to him, “there is clamour for Igbo presidency today. And I believe it can only be realised if we engage ourselves in conversation with northern Nigeria to buy into our initiative”.

He also renewed his call for a decentralization of power from the federal to the state governments so the government can be closer to the people.

He also lashed out at politicians who distance themselves from the people once they are elected into office only to return every four years when they need the peoples’ vote again.

According to him, “Today, Nigeria is in the full grip of widespread insecurity- insurgency, banditry, abductions, armed robbery, and all manner of violent crimes. Nigerians have been offering solutions towards taming the rising wave of criminality.

“These include calls for decentralised policing, which I am a proponent of and also have a Bill to that effect currently before the Senate.

“Unfortunately, it appears the government is bent on doing the same thing over and over but ironically hoping to get a different result.

“In the same manner, many Nigerians, including yours sincerely, have been shouting it on the rooftops long before the current economic downturn occasioned by drastic and protracted decline in oil revenues, that the days of high oil revenues were numbered.

“The West and other developed nations are setting targets to move away from oil. Yet we are not even close to activating other abundant sources of income because our federalism is wired for wealth sharing rather than wealth creation.

“Even in the 7th National Assembly when we listened to the yearnings of Nigerians to amend the constitution to devolve aviation, power, railway, etc. from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List, it was never assented by the Presidency.

“Now that the chicken has come home to roost, let us hope that the Federal Government will listen to the voices of reason, devolve powers, and not continue with the micromanagement of the nation’s resources.”

While lamenting the division and lack of trust in Nigeria from many quarters, the Enugu Senator submitted that “Nigeria is now divided as never before. The chasms are increasing by the day. Elder statesmen and women, writers, and other well-meaning Nigerians have continued to raise the alarm that the nation is drifting apart.

“They have equally continued to proffer suggestions on how we can engender national cohesion, justice, and equity. We will continue to pray that the government heeds their patriotic calls and suggestions.”