2023: I'm stepping stone to Igbo presidency – Atiku

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, says he is going to be a stepping stone for an Igbo presidency in Nigeria.

Mr Atiku stated this on Thursday in Awka, the Anambra State capital, when he flagged off his campaign for the South-east region, according to a report by Channel TV.

“I am going to be a stepping stone to an Igbo president in this country. I have shown it in my action because this is the third time that I am running with an Igbo man. If you really want to produce a president, then vote for the Atiku-Okowa ticket,” he told a crowd of Igbos who gathered at the venue.

The former vice president expressed gratitude to the people of the state for their “warm reception” during the rally.

“I never thought I will see such a crowd in Anambra State, and believe me, we are not going to forget you, we are going to reward you handsomely,” Mr Atiku added.

Igbo presidency ambitionThere have been calls from South-east leaders that the region should be allowed to produce a Nigerian president for the first time in 2023.

But the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition PDP, the two dominant political parties in Nigeria, picked their candidates outside the region during their separate presidential primaries in May.

The two parties subsequently ignored the region in the selection of their vice presidential candidates.

Some leaders in the South-east have argued that the emergence of the Nigerian president from the region would end the Biafra agitation.

Reviving industries in South-eastSpeaking during the rally, Mr Atiku promised to revive industries in the South-east and also vowed to dredge the River Niger to boost economic activities in the region.

He said Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, whom he visited on arrival to the state, asked him to ensure that all the federal roads that pass through the state were reconstructed if he (Atiku) emerges president in 2023.

“And I promised him, I’m going to do that. He said ‘make sure that you control our erosion because Anambra is the erosion headquarters of the world. Erosion is destroying our farmlands, destroying our houses and everything we have’.

“This is a very gigantic project. And I promised him I’m going to do that, and you know I have worked with Soludo before. He is a first-class patriotic Nigerian,” he said.

The PDP candidate said the governor also appealed to him to revive the Onitsha Port if he wins the presidential election in 2023.

“I said this time around we are going to dredge River Niger and Onitsha Port will function. We are also going to help Anambra industrialise the state so that the state will create as many jobs for our young men and women,” he stated.

“And you know, I promised to set aside $10 billion to promote small-scale and medium enterprise for our young men and women so that they can be independent.”