2023: It’s too early to start power agitation, says Nwodo

Frank Ikpefan and Austin Bello, Abuja

A former governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, has said it is too early for politicians in the country to be agitating which region will produce the president in 2023.

Nwobodo, who was governor of old Anambra state between 1979–1983 during the Second Republic, said the present administration should be allowed to settle down and focus on governance.

He spoke at the public presentation of two books “A scientist in parliament and Stunted Nigerian dreams” written by a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Eddie Mbadiwe, on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, only the people can decide which region will produce the next president when the time comes.

“This government has just started. It has not even done up to one year and we are talking of 2023. Pray to God that this man succeed. You don’t start fighting over something that you have no powers to adjudicate. The people will decide when the time comes.

“It is too early. Some of these things are frivolous, you don’t just start fighting for something you know is neither here nor there,” he said.

He also said that the unity of the country had been torn apart, noting that this was not the country him and other prominent Nigerians suffered and fought for.

Nwobodo said that he contested and won an election as a student at the University of Ibadan as one Nigeria, asking: “are we still one Nigeria.”

Nwobodo said: “Some of the people who came here were my school mates at the university of Ibadan. I contest an election in Ibadan and won as one Nigeria. Are we still one Nigeria? I am asking you press men. We are so divided.

“Trust me, I weep for this country, I really weep and I know what I am saying. This is not the country that we fought for, that we suffered for and you have a role as the press to talk about the unity and oneness of this country – fairness, equity to everybody.”

The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, said power rotation in 2023 will not determine equity or fairness in the country.

Achebe, who was chairman of the occasion, said: “Power rotation will not guarantee fairness and equity. Fairness and equity arise from good leadership. It does not matter where the leadership come from.

“If you rotate power and it goes to the south and the south takes care of the southerners, it is still inequity. Fairness for everybody that is what….”

Author of the books, Mbadiwe, said that Nigeria had not made progress many years after independence in 1960.

“Everybody in Nigeria knows that this country is not moving and it is so annoying.

“Many years after independence we are still here. It is so annoying to people like me. Small countries, ten, twenty years have moved. Even in Ghana, thing have changed.

“We are not moving and we must tell ourselves the truth. We are not honest with ourselves. These things are so endemic and Nigerians don’t want to speak. Everybody is just keeping quiet and we are going down in terms of everything,” he said.

– The Nation