Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has highlighted what the Igbo must do to produce a successor after President Muhammadu Buhari in the upcoming 2023 elections.
Ngige stressed that leaders of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) must collapse their party and move to the All Progressives Congress (APC) if they are serious about becoming President.
In the interview with The Sun, Ngige said that the aspiration could only be achieved if Igbo leaders build political bridges across the country. He advised that for Ndigbo to be properly integrated into the mainstream politics by identifying with the two major political parties in the country.
He was quoted as saying, “Those who say they are in APGA should collapse and come into the mainstream politics of Nigeria, If APGA wants to help Ndigbo as they pretend or as they mouth or tout, they have to realign and come into the mainstream Nigerian politics. We have to go and reinforce the two political parties.
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“There is still time for the Igbo to re-strategise, and we have to start now. That is what I am saying. Ndigbo will need to go and resuscitate their firepower; shop for a credible candidate, prepare him the way Zik (Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe) was prepared and blessed when he came back from abroad.
“Baptise the candidate very well, and then present him before other Nigerians. It’s a game of numbers.
“We have to court other Nigerians to give us support. You must court them. That is the game. You must lobby. You must do some political reengineering. For today, we are not getting it right as Ndigbo.
“If we start today to get it right, it is still on time. Igbo have to identify with the two main political parties. They must identify with both. But for now, the party with the firepower to win the presidency at any given time because of its areas of support in Nigeria federation is the APC.
“So, Ndigbo should join the APC. Some of us are there. We are not stupid to be there. We know what we are doing.”