Group urges South South, South East synergy ahead of 2023 politics

A group, the South-South Southeast 2023 Forum has charged political leaders in the old eastern bloc to unite and ensure that the zone achieves over 22 million registered voters.

It said the call for unity was borne out of the desire to foster understanding and political advantage, as the 2023 general elections draw nearer, adding that politicians of the zone should build bridges and consensus to achieve the goal.

President of the group, Pureh Kalango, who spoke at a media briefing in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, yesterday, appealed to the leaders and people of the Southeast and South-South to brace up for a massive campaign and sensitisation to build the largest voting bloc in the country.

Kalango also appealed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone their presidential tickets to the region to ensure victory.

He said the group would be embarking on an ambitious consultation and consensus-building among leaders of the Southeast and South-South regions.

On his part, the South-South Regional Coordinator of the group, Prince Chinwe Akarolo, expressed delight at the potential of realising the benefit of synergising to form a political bloc of over 23 million registered voters.

He said over two million registered voters from the zone were also registered in Lagos State and other cities in the country.

Chinwe assured stakeholders that the 11 states making up the bloc would reach out to leaders, traditional rulers, and politicians from the North and Southwest zones to achieve the objective.

He said the group would be unveiled in Port Harcourt, Rivers State this week to be followed by an aggressive membership drive to ensure that it mobilised over 10 million members before the 2023 general elections.