Senator Christopher Ekpenyong representing Ikot Ekpene senatorial district in Akwa Ibom state Wednesday urged the South- south geo-political zone to seek the position of a president in 2023.
Ekpenyong stated this in Uyo while reacting to ongoing clamour and debates in the country regarding which region or part of the country should produce the next president in 2023, after the expiration of the tenure of president Muhammadu Buhari.
He stated that he may join the 2023 presidential race if his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), finally decides to throw the presidential ticket open to all aspirants from all parts of the country.
He further stated that he would not recontest for the Senate seat in the forthcoming election.
“I am fully in support of the South- south presidency in 2023. I want to urge the geo-political zone to encourage people to come out and contest for the highest position in 2023. We must be ready to present a candidate. I may be one of those that will seek the position.
“If my party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), finally decides to throw it open, I will declare my intention. I will not recontest for the Senate in 2023, but I may be seeking the highest office. We (South-south) have always been cheated in the past.
“You can remember when Goodluck Jonathan was to return to office in 2015, the north said no. There was a serious gang up against the South-south. This time, things will be different. We must present a candidate, but that will depend on whether the party will zone the ticket or leave it open.”
The former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom state expressed hope that the presidential ticket of the PDP would be zoned to Southern Nigeria in 2023, going by its rotational agreement enshrined in the party constitution.
He decried the trend in the country in which outgoing governors impose their successors on the people and advised incumbent governors to make a difference by allowing the citizens to choose their governors in 2023.
“This is democracy and the citizens must be allowed to choose their Leaders by themselves. I want the present governors to correct the mistakes of the past by not imposing their successors on the people,” Ekpenyong advised.
