The attention of the Concerned and Patriotic Nigerians (CPN) has been drawn to the recent endorsement and support of President Muhammadu Buhari that power must shift to the South.
They applauded and commended the statesman position of President Muhammadu Buhari, asserting that, indeed he is a hero who must be allowed to assist the country in giving power to the South for equity, justice and fairness.
The CPN, under the leadership of Professor Echefuna Onyebadi hails the historic turn of events by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and the President and called on all Nigerians to support this endeavor for balance and equity for our various regions and for the prosperity in the country at large.
The patriots said they received with great joy the news of the resolution of the 11 APC governors from the Northern region to support its Presidential candidate to the Southern region in line with the agreement of the founding fathers of the nation, as a master stroke and indeed a rare nationalistic endeavor borne out of selflessness, peace, stability, harmony, co-existence, statesmanship and patriotism displaced by these governors.
The organization views this move as indeed historic not just for the party, but the entire nation. “For the President to fully endorse and support it to the fullest shows the mood of the nation at this time,” they asserted.
The leadership under Professor Onyebadi, therefore advocates that the South-South and the South-West regions had previously occupied the presidency under the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and even said that the present Vice President is from the South-West. And, as such, the association reasoned that it is only fair for the power to be given to the South-East for equity and justice and made a passionate appeal for the candidacy of Dr Ogbonnaya Onu as s credible partyman with the credentials to take Nigeria to the Promised Land.
A press release issued in Abuja by the National Coordinator of Concerned Patriotic Nigerians (CPN) Professor Echefuna Onyebadi, re-emphasized that the group has been clamouring and advocating for power shift to the South for a long time and that this move by the 11 APC governors and the President, is the right step in the right direction, that must be applauded by all Nigerians and the international community.
“We cannot but be appreciative of the ability of the President to listen to the voice of reason and the national mood at this point in time. That Nigeria is indeed ripe for power shift to the South particularly the South-East zone; which has been marginalized since independence,” he averred.
The group stated that they are delighted and happy for the new development and sense of direction in line with the ideals of the founding fathers of the nation and that they are indebted to President Muhammadu Buhari for the patriotism and statesmanship displaced in spite of pressures from the powers that be; that he went ahead to endorse the resolution of the Northern governors in the overall interest of unity, peace, mutual co-existence, trust and progress of the nation.
The group therefore called on all the aspirants of the South-South and South-West zones to jettison their clamour for the collective good and allow their brothers from the South-East region to contest for the coveted crown of the Presidency; as they observed that one good turn deserves another.
The National Coordinator observed that since democracy was birthed in the country, the South-East region has suffered a lot and been marginalized in all ramifications and, as such, this is the time to pay the region back for fairness, equity and justice.
The group called on Nigerians to prevail on the South-South and South-West zones to support the South-East aspirations for the progress of the country.
CPN acknowledged “this courageous stance for equity and moral justification” and applauded the determination of all stakeholders to engage realistically and honestly for the Nigerian project.
It added that, by this singular gesture, “we are convinced that the ascendant march towards stability, unity, progress and prosperity of our people is not truncated by selfish, greedy and parochial intent but based on nationalistic disposition to that, we are proud.”
The Concerned and Patriotic Nigerians called on all aspirants of South-South and South-West extraction to graciously step aside and allow only the South-East produce the next President of this country for the common good of the country, “while we look forward to the best candidate, competent contributor of the Nigerian project in person of Dr Ogbonnaya Onu to steer the affairs of the state soonest,” the association concluded.