Worried by the increasing number of presidential aspirants indicating their interest to contest the 2023 general election from the South-East, Igbo leaders in the area have concluded arrangements to limit the number of candidates to just three across the political parties.

So far, over seven aspirants have declared their interest for the nation’s top position from the All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among others. However, speaking on the issue, the first Republic Minister for Aviation Chief Mbazurike Amechi said this idea was mooted during an earlier meeting at his country home in Ukpor last year, and which had in attendance Igbo leaders from across all political parties where it was resolved that the number be reduced to a maximum of three candidates . “I recall a meeting I convened at my country home here in Ukpor, and we had in attendance leaders and stakeholders of all the political parties in the country from Igbo land and that was sometime in May last year. We said the number should be reduced to two or at most three. “Since then, nobody has challenged that decision and it still stands till date, andthey would come from across the political parties.

That is the only way we can achieve this since the pendulum is swinging towards the South East. “That was what happened in 1999 when the South West got the endorsement and the candidates of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) produced their two candidates from the South West and that is what we are going to do and anything on the contrary, I am out of it,” he said.

Former governor of old Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife also agreed with limiting the number of candidates to three. He noted that at the moment, all the aspirants or those that have interest from the South East should all make their declarations before the elimination process. “We want all of them, and in fact, anyone that has an ambition to come out first and when they have all made their intentions known, we shall go into the elimination process and the number would be reduced to three or two, and this would be across all political parties. “We know that not all the parties will produce the right candidates, but we shall allow them to present their aspirants and we shall hold meetings and dialogue with all aspirants on the need for us to reduce the number and the rest would have to support whoever that emerges in the interest of our common goal.

“The common practice of the past where a lot of them would come out and start fighting themselves will not be allowed this time around. We advise our brothers and sisters not to reduce our zone to an object of ridicule because of personal ambition,” he said. Also speaking the National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Okeke, expressed the need for the zone to speak with one voice and harmonize itself to achieve its ambition.

He added that Igbo leaders would certainly meet to discuss and fashion out a way forward for the zone. He noted that the number would certainly be reduced to a manageable number before the election proper. Also to join in the meetings are members and elders of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo from the geopolitical zone on or before the primary elections of the respective political parties. It is generally feared that too many candidates from the zone will dilute the chances of the Igbo producing a president come 2023. (New Telegraph:Excludes headline)