Ndigbo urged to participate in politics

 

Former national chairman of United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has urged South-east people to get fully involved and participate actively in politics to emancipate themselves from political marginalisation.
Okorie, who is also the founder of UPP, gave the task  Sunday in a seminar in Enugu while speaking on the topic: “Repositioning Ndi-Igbo for National Progress’’.
The seminar, which was organised by The New Enugu Project’’, was themed: “Stake Holders Summit 2021: Leadership Beyond Politics.’’
Okorie emphasised that the participation and holding political dominance in the country holds the key to emancipating the people of the South-east from continuous cry of marginalisation.
He said: “We must get actively involved in politics and participate in it down to voting and following it up until results are announced.
“The quest for Nigeria president of South-east extraction come 2023 is highly possible and we have overwhelming numbers scattered everywhere in the country.
“We have not put in our industry and hard work to make politics work for us. Just as it seems politics or people in politics control other aspects of our national life directly or indirectly.
“In each state of the federation and FCT excluding the South-east; we are the second largest populated tribe apart from the dominant tribe or nation of such a state. So, we have the numbers.’’
On the growing insecurity in the zone, Okorie said  the insecurity in the South-east could have been sponsored by persons outside the zone for political gains and to “deny us our 2023 presidential pursuit’’.
He said recent political rhetoric from other parts of the country by respected leaders suggested this.
“Initially, I did not want to believe this; but recent events have made me think in this direction,’’ he said.
The former UPP boss also supported the National Assembly’s review and amendment of some certain provisions of the constitution to reflect the realities of time and dynamism of Nigerians’ way of life.
Earlier, the Archbishop of Enugu Anglican Archdiocese, Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, urged leaders in all spheres to take responsibility and ensure accountability to the people.