17th July, 2020
ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC)
40 Blantyre Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Wuse 2,
Abuja.
Distinguished Leaders,
OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC).
You may recall that at the formation of All Progressives Congress in March 2013, the Southeast geopolitical zone was skeptical as to the interest of the zone in the new party.
Although the Southeast never gave full support to the APC in 2015 when it defeated the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at that year’s Presidential Election through retired general Muhammadu Buhari, several leaders of the Southeast still worked for the victory of the party.
Distinguished leaders, recall that following the victory of APC in 2015, the party distributed major offices in both the Legislative and Executive arms without consideration given to the Southeast geopolitical zone. Specifically, the party zoned the Senate Presidency to the Northeast and the Speakership of House of Representatives to Southwest despite the fact that the Southwest produced the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while the Southeast geopolitical zone was left with nothing. The argument of party leaders then was absence of ranking Federal Legislators from the Southeast.
After the 2019 general elections, the APC enjoyed more acceptability from people of the Southeast comparative to 2015, and returned ranking legislators at both the Senate and the Federal House of Representatives, despite this feat, the APC still retained the zoning arrangement of 2015 in the sharing of political offices in both the Executive and Legislative arms. The Northwest got the President of Nigeria, the Southwest got the positions of Vice President of Nigeria and Speakership of the Federal House of Representatives, the Northeast got the position of President of the Senate, the Northcentral got the position of Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, while the Southsouth got the position of Deputy President of the Senate. Again the Southeast is left out!
Distinguished Leaders, in 2023 the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari tenure will elapse and there is an ongoing demand for the party to field someone from the Southern region as its Presidential Candidate for 2023. It is only fair and just that the APC micro-zones the Presidential ticket of the party in 2023 to the Southeast zone. This will bring balance and will integrate the Southeast to the core of the party.
Furthermore, considering that the Southeast is the only geopolitical zone in the entire Southern region that is yet to produce the country’s President or Vice President since the return of the Fourth Republic in 1999, it is appropriate for the APC, being the ruling party, to play a lead role in balancing this lopsidedness by presenting a Candidate from the SOUTHEAST.
Please be assured of our highest regards.
Thank you.
Yours truly,
Mazi Dickson Nnamdi-Iroegbu (DGN)
for: SOUTHEAST-2023 PRESIDENCY PROJECT