The Igbo Elders Consultative Forum also known as Ime-obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo has berated the major political parties in the country for their refusal to zone the presidency to the South-East region.

They described Igbo delegates who voted against South-East aspirants in the presidential primaries for the 2023 election as “serial betrayals and shameless saboteurs”.

The IECF in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its Secretary, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, specifically expressed concern over the commercialization of the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party.

Nwekeaku declared that the South East won’t vote for both the APC and PDP in 2023, “as they do not deserve our votes anymore”.

He said, “This will not happen again as the Igbo Elders shall provide a new leadership that will strengthen the Ohaneze leadership in Igbo land. Those betrayals will retire from politics shamefully and unceremoniously as they will never represent South East in any public service again.

“We observed with grave concern the unprecedented monetisation of the recent political parties’ primary elections, especially the presidential election at which highest bidders emerged as presidential candidates.

“More worrisome was the failure of the major political parties, namely, the ruling APC, and PDP, to zone the Presidency to the South East in keeping with the Federal Character principle and zoning arrangement as contained in Section 14 (3) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the various political parties constitutions for the sake of justice, equity, fairness, peace and stability of the country,” he added.. (The PUNCH)

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