Atiku’s quest, an opportunity for Igbo presidency - Okowa

Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta State and vice-presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential flagbearer of the party presents a great opportunity for an Igbo man to become President in the nearest future.

Okowa said this during an interview on Arise TV on Friday night.

He stressed that only two geopolitical zones are yet to produce a president in the country. That is the south-east and north-east.

According to him, the time to correct the injustice metted to both regions is now.

“Our candidate, Atiku Abubakar is from the north-east…and along with the south-east geopolitical zone, we have told Nigerians that it appears that these two political zones have been short-changed because no sons from these two zones have been president of this nation,” Okowa said.

“They obviously have a point and I believe that we sympathize with them.”

“And I believe also that since one of us has emerged from the north-east at this point in time, that it is a good sign for the future that if the north-east has the opportunity and by God’s grace Atiku Abubakar becomes the president, which I think by the special grace of God he will become.

“Then it is a good sign that the south-east will have the opportunity because at the next point in time, what we will be talking about is that the south-east itself is the only zone and they lay claim to it,” he added expressing belief that an Atiku victory at the polls would give the south-east a great chance at the Aso Villa in future elections.

He addressed the fears of people who may not regard him as a true Igbo man believing that he is not from the heartland of the Igbo tribe.

He said, “For me, yes! I am from Delta State; I am definitely an Igbo man there is no doubt about that. I am from Delta State in the south-south but if you are looking at Igbos across the country I am an Igbo man and can’t be counted out and that is a true situation.”