An address delivered by the Convener and National Coordinator of the Southeast for President 2023 Movement, Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha JP, on the occasion of her inauguration on the 30th April, 2019 by 10am, at the Top Rank Hotel, Independent Layout, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.

An address delivered by the Convener and National Coordinator of the Southeast for President 2023 Movement, Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha JP, on the occasion of her inauguration on the 30th April, 2019 by 10am, at the Top Rank Hotel, Independent Layout, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.

Our Fathers
Our Lords Temporal and Spiritual
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good day.
Myself, other Coordinators and sponsors of this program today, welcome you from the four corners of this country and overseas, for this great time and purpose such as this in the history of our dear country Nigeria.

We have called you to be part of history in inaugurating this movement, Southeast for President 2023 Movement. We have called you to prepare and get set to work and also be a blessing  to the movement in realising her vision and mission.

We are talking about a President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the Southeast zone extraction.
Presently, Nigeria is made up of six zones. Since the inception of our democratic political era from  Independence in 1960, till date, every other zone had become the Premier/President of Nigeria, except the South-East zone. Nigeria has no reason whatsoever to ignore this glaring truth.

Prominent elements of this Southeast zone of Nigeria, have severally put their lives on the line to ensure that Nigeria becomes independent. Through these years, several South Eastern leaders have cooperated and assisted every Head of government and President of Nigeria to reach the enviable heights she has attained today.

Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe fought for the Independence after Macaulay. Dr Alex Ekwueme co-founded and ran G18, G34 which later gave birth to PDP. Despite his prime role in realising Nigeria's independence, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe became a mere ceremonial President of Independent Nigeria. After forming PDP, Dr Alex Ekwueme was denied the Presidential ticket by the party he formed; yet he remained loyal and ensured the unity of Nigeria.
MASOB, IPOB and other agitated groups had arisen because of persistent injustices and non implementation of the three 'Rs'- Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation, declared for the Southeast zone after the end of Nigeria civil war.
These agitations by the aggrieved individuals and groups in the Southeast zone led to the massacre of our youths by the military, and yet the Elders of the Southeast consoled the bereaved, managed the wounds of the survivors and calmed them down for the unity of this great country Nigeria.
WE ARE PART OF NIGERIA AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE.

Chief MKO Abiola, who was acclaimed and believed to have won the freest and most reliable presidential election conducted in the history of Nigeria, died. To calm down nerves of his supporters and particularly the Southwest, President Obassanjo was drafted from prison and we voted overwhelmingly for him, while his South West brothers rejected him.
The South South zone has been the greater partner that has been laying the golden eggs (oil) that has kept this country alive. The neglect and monumental environmental degradation in the area, caused serious restiveness and agitations until they were assuaged with President Godluck Ebele Jonathan.
The Southeast zone has been boiling and heated after the Nigeria civil war because of injustices, marginalization, suppression and neglect. The zone therefore needs to be assuaged. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Since it was done for the South West, and for the South South, as the pendulum of power swings back to the Southern Nigeria in 2023, can anyone show reason why South East will be denied the seat of power called the Presidency?
Dr Alex Ekwueme introduced the six zones structure and it has become an acceptable formula in sharing revenue and appointments.
They have taunted this zoning as in rotational and it is now in the North for eight years by the time it is 2023. By 2023, it will come back to the South. Since the Southwest and South South have had it; the Southeast being a major partner in this project called Nigeria, and having not smelt that Executive power and leadership, should equitably, justifiably and in fairness, be supported by all and sundry to have it without equivocation.
This is Equity! This is Justice! This is Fairness!!! This is ONE NIGERIA.
This will form the basis and the bedrock of a new Nigeria and ONE NIGERIA. There will be no more war, neither will there be a winner nor the vanquished.
Our vision is therefore:
By 2023, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the Southeast zone extraction.
Our Mission: To ensure that every political party, especially the two major political parties and or any Third Force, will cede their presidential nominees to the Southeast zone come 2023. We have witnessed that before and the Southeast helped greatly in achieving that, when Dr Ogbonnaya Onu as a Presidential candidate of the APP, gave in to Chief Olu False of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and we had AD/APP without merger and elections were conducted.
Considering that no one zone can produce the President except she aligns with other zones to become, we must seek the support of other five zones in the country.

We therefore have set ourselves up to peacefully mobilize, canvas, consult, lobby, negotiate, to creat the awareness that 2023 is the right time after the turn of the North, for Nigerians and indeed the Southeast indigenes to accept that, equitably, justifiably and in fairness, a qualified Southeast must become the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023.

Henceforth, we must use choice words. No more abuse of other ethnic nationalities. We must not only be but be seen to be very mature in this pursuit. Cultivate friendly dispositions if possible at all times to every person.
Any fear of the unknown, expressed and believed by other ethnic nationalities, particularly in the North, must be eliminated in the cause of our peaceful interactions with other zones and ethnic groups. Our actions and words must be properly guided to ensure that no zone is neglected, maltreated or marginalised. We have experienced this bitter suffering of marginalization and therefore must not retaliate or inflict similar suffering on our fellow Nigerians from any zone or tribe. We must insure that all Nigerians of all zones shall be given the opportunity to showcase their potentials in building the new Nigeria that the whole world will respect. When we do this, Nigeria will become an investment destination, a tourist Haven, because all agitations must have been peacefully addressed and eliminated.  We must assure  Nigerians that when an Igbo of the Southeast becomes the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there shall be unprecedented economic boom in Nigeria. Nigeria will stun the world with Divine innovations that will transform lives and lands.
This is the task this movement will be committed to, until the major political parties and any other Third Force, sees wisdom in picking their presidential candidates from the Southeast and ensure that the office of the president of this great nation is occupied by a South Eastern Nigerian, as has been done for all other zones.
We have been voting and supporting others to occupy the seat of President, Prime Minister and Head of State; 2023 is the right date when South East will be given the support and votes we have always given to other zones.
We must emphasise that no political aspirant is funding this campaign, neither was the movement initiated by any Presidential aspirant. We are not being funded by any political party. Our neutral posture will be in place until the Nigeria system understands and accepts our mission and vision. When Nigeria agrees to do for South East what she has done for other zones, it will then become the responsibility of the political parties to nominate credible candidates to run for the seat. The movement is open to all Nigerians of Goodwill. This is not an Igbo project. It is a Nigeria project. We are confident that majority of Nigerians within and in diaspora will join this movement. People of Goodwill and lovers of justice are invited to raise their voices in support of this project  until Justice is not only served, but clearly seen to have been served. This is the only way to the meaningful socioeconomic development of the nation.
All hands must therefore be on deck.

Today we shall set out our objectives and goals. We therefore invite all members present to make contributions towards the realisation  of this vision and mission. I wish all members a peaceful, rancour free and wise deliberations.
Thanks and God bless the Southeast Zone. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria