2023: Amb. Onochie joins race for Igbo presidency

A former envoy to Algeria and Philippines, Ambassador Orefe Nnamdi Onochie has joined the race for Igbo Presidency in 2023.

Ambassador Onochie said that he is worried by the poor condition of lives in Nigeria with attendant ills of insecurity, corruption, poverty, unemployment, hunger, poor quality education, lack of health care services, lack of good roads, lack of power supply and lack of water supply among other lacks in the country.

He, thereby, hopes to take over the helm of Nigeria affairs from President Muhammadu Buhari via the 2023 general election.

Onochie disclosed his intentions to succeed President Buhari in 2023 at the Day of Tribute for late Real Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu held at Enugu Sport Club in Enugu.

He lamented that it is most unfortunate that Nigerians are suffering in the midst of abundance owing to lack of good leadership.

He added that his intentions to take over from Buhari is to fix all anomalies in the country starting from fixing the security system, education system, the power system and the road infrastructures amongst others to make lives of the inhabitants much better.

The Diplomat and High Chief from Asaba in Delta State, said for instance that he cannot understand the reason Nigerians shouldn’t be able to enjoy 24 hours power supply at this age of the 21st century.

He wondered why President Buhari failed to establish a single power plant to improve on power supply.

He, therefore, vowed that the first thing he will do if elected is to establish power plants in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country to ensure a 24/7 power supply to every home, offices and industries.

He said he deemed right enough to come out to run the Presidential race because of his conviction that it is the turn of Ndigbo to produce the next President that will take over from Buhari.

Onochie added that Asaba, where he comes from, is part of Igboland, buttressing that “Asaba people are pure Igbo.

“Anybody who says that Asaba is not part of Ndigbo is not telling himself the truth.

“Those who were killed during Biafra civil war in a genocide carried by Nigeria forces at Asaba were killed because they were Igbo,” he affirmed.

The Diplomat applauded the zoning of the office of the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the North.

He noted that it could pave the way for an Igbo man to eventually emerge the candidate of the PDP and possibly emerge the next President of Nigeria.

He further hailed the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State-led PDP zoning committee for mustering the courage to shift the Chairmanship of the PDP to the North.

“Governor Ugwuanyi did a great job and we must commend him for being courageous enough to make such push a success,” he added.

The Asaba born 2023 Presidential hopeful described late Real Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu as a great soldier of the people whose legacy cannot be forgotten in a hurry.

He added that he made Ndigbo proud in both ways as a serving military personnel and as a civilian after retirement.

According to him, Kanu made Igbo proud by holding top positions in the Military and standing in the gap above others as a fighter of the people.

He stressed that the late Real Admiral who served as the military governor of Lagos State and Imo State respectively was also part of the struggle for the return of democracy in Nigeria as a member of the defunct National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) which was highly instrumental to return of democracy in Nigeria.

By Toby Chuks