2023: No Region Can Win Presidency Without Others – Anyim

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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, says no region of the country can win the presidency without the support of other zones.

Anyim, one of the frontline aspirants for the 2023 presidency, who spoke at an event organised by United For Better Nigeria Initiative in Abuja on Sunday, with the theme, “Imperative of Rotational Presidency,” explained that though the quest for a president of Igbo extraction was not a “legal right for the South-East but an equitable one, it must be pursued with vigorous persuasion and consensus building with other regions.”

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He further stated that “the other angle to this perspective is, whether zoning the presidency to the southeast geo-political zone is a legal right, the answer is no, but morally, there is a merit in such a demand.

“This expectation canvases that the federal character principle has assumed a legal backing.

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“Just like the rotation of the presidency is not captured in the Constitution, neither is the geo-political zoning arrangement,” he said.

Anyim also called on groups and individuals advocating for a power shift to the South-East to double their effort by strategically engaging other Nigerians through advocacy and dialogue on the need for power to shift to the region, adding that in democracy, power is not given in the asking but through deliberate and strategic engagement for mass support.

“The journey of building an equitable society is usually a challenging and tough one but many nations have arrived safely and Nigeria must continue to deepen and consolidate the gains of democracy to meet the yearnings and aspirations of all Nigerians,” Anyim added.

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