President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023 should not be determined by ethnicity, a former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha has said.
Okorocha, now representing Imo West Senatorial District in the Senate, was fielding questions from journalists in Abuja. He said ethnicity or religion should not be a determining factor in politics as poverty knows no tribe or religion.
“I believe that power must be given to someone that has the vision irrespective of where he comes from because tribe cannot put food on the table of the common man or guarantee security.
“As you see the politics of today, everybody looks up to the North because it has the large chunk of votes to determine who becomes the president of Nigeria.
“One good thing I know of the North, especially the Islamic world, is that a good Muslim is a man of conscience who believes in equity, justice and unity.
“That is the only hope for anybody who wants to contest from the southern region. The North can say for the purpose of equity and not tribal or religious differences, the North having served as president, let somebody from the South be the president,” he said.
Okorocha said other regions required the backing of the North if power must shift.
“The Igbo alone cannot make themselves president. The quicker they come together and start shoring up support from the North and other parts of the country the better for it to realise the dream.
“I know we shall come to that point one day, when who becomes the president would not be based on tribe or religion. For as long we keep promoting tribal and religious sentiments, we are not getting it right.
“We need somebody who can move this country forward. What Nigeria needs now is that man who would emerge as president and continue with unity of Nigerians just as we see ourselves during football matches, that will create jobs and guarantee security,” he said.
