Southeast PDP Leaders, Stakeholders Back Anyim’s 2023 Presidential Aspiration

▪Failure To Zone Presidency To Southeast In 2023 Will Remain A burden On The Nation’s Conscience—Ex-Senate President

Zonal and state executives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as select political leaders and elders from the Southeast, have endorsed the presidential ambition of the former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim.

The endorsement, according to TheNiche newspaper, took place at a briefing and consultative session hosted by Anyim, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), in Enugu on Thursday.

The political leaders from across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states, said they were endorsing Anyim taking “due cognizance of his precious record of distinguished and unblemished service as President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”

The PDP zonal leaders and elders said in all the positions, Anyim distinguished himself as a detribalized statesman, consensus builder and true nationalist.

In a ten-point resolution issued at the end of the meeting, signed by Senator Theodore Orji, former governor of Abia State, who also chaired the session and Chief Duru-Iheoma, SAN, former chairman of PDP in Imo State, the Southeast PDP stakeholders reiterated that the people of the geo-political zone “have earned the right to occupy the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023 on account of their eminent qualifications and overwhelming contributions to the development of all parts of the federation through the years.”

They said because of that, “the choice of a southeast citizen as the presidential candidate of the party in 2023 will guarantee to every Nigerian a sense of equity, justice, and inclusion in the management of the affairs of the nation.  In our view, this is the best way of ensuring that we build a nation that leaves no one or group behind.”

“We take due cognizance of his precious record of distinguished and unblemished service as President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation. In these positions, he distinguished himself as a detribalized statesman, consensus builder and true nationalist.

“We, therefore, unanimously endorse his aspiration with all conviction and enthusiasm and eagerly commend him to the rest of the nation as a worthy leader who will pilot the affairs of the nation towards greater security, unity, and prosperity for all citizens.

“In furtherance of the foregoing, we hereby oblige Senator Anyim his request that we all join him to persuade and reassure every part of the country to do justice to the South East and thereby promote equity and justice as core values of our nation.

“In assuring Senator Anyim of our support for his aspiration, we wish to also extend the same hand of support and solidarity to all qualified and deserving sons and daughters of our zone with similar aspirations and who reach out to us as Senator Anyim has done.

“It is our solemn appeal to all the peoples of the southeast zone to remain steadfast in the hope that we can all join hands in solidarity with all other parts of the federation to build a prosperous nation founded on democracy, equity, and inclusion to the benefit of this great nation.”

In his speech, Anyim said he was stepping out with a sense of humility, as a Nigerian with patriotic fervour, considerable knowledge of Nigeria – its diversities and current challenges; and so properly equipped with clarity of the needed solutions.

“Let me elaborate; as a young officer, at the then Directorate of Social Mobilization, I understood the need for value orientation as a tool for instilling patriotism.