The Council of Elders, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has said rotating the country’s presidency within its six geopolitical zones should be made constitutional for equity, justice and fairness.

Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Chairman of the council, said this while briefing newsmen at the end of its extraordinary meeting in Abuja, yesterday.

He said limiting the zoning of the country’s presidency to the North and South is vague and should therefore be discouraged.

Iwuanyanwu said the council believes that if it was agreed that the presidency should be zoned to the South in 2023 since the South West and South-South had produced the country’s presidents, it was now the turn of the South East.

According to him, South East leaders did everything possible to convince South West and South-South leaders of the need for the zone to produce the next president in 2023.

He said leaders, including those in the Middle Belt, agreed that it was the turn of the South East, and even made public statements to support the Igbo presidency in 2023.

He said while the leaders agreed that it was the turn of the South-East to produce the next president at the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023, the political class took a contrary decision.

Iwuanyanwu said: “The political class, unfortunately, took another decision, which made us feel terribly betrayed, not by the elders, but by the political class. We are sure that the elders in the entire South and Middle Belt supported the Igbo presidency in 2023.

“So, it is our strong view that issues of zoning the presidency should be put in the Constitution and it should be rotated among the country’s six geo-political zones.

“The question of rotating the presidency between North and South is very vague, after all, the federal character is very glaring.”

He added that though the South-East geopolitical zone was disappointed that none of the two major political parties zoned its presidential ticket to the region, it would not boycott the 2023 general elections as being speculated.

He said Igbo are major stakeholders in the Nigerian project and the only tribe seen across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) doing businesses and contributing to national development.

He said: “We are not going to abandon Nigeria. We are the biggest investors in any part of the country. So, we are not going to withdraw our participation in any political activity.

“We will fully participate in all activities ahead of the 2023 general elections. But we are going to watch and probably make a statement later.

“But let it be known to Nigerians that Igbo are going to fully participate in the 2023 general elections.”

He also decried the situation where certain persons made claims on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, stressing that the council has only one recognised structure, headed by Prof. George Obiozor, its President General, and Okey Emuchay, its General Secretary.

He said: “The Council of Elders, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, is worried that some people make reckless statements on behalf of Ohanaeze. Nigerians should ignore such persons.”