A former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka has advised the people of the South-East to engage in political alliance and build a strong coalition with other geopolitical zones.
The coalition, he said, is the only route for the zone to achieve its ambition of producing the President of Nigeria.
Chidoka, who spoke in Umuahia during a live program on FLO 94.9 FM Umuahia, made it clear that the present approach being applied by politicians in the zone cannot guarantee a victory for a presidential candidate of South-East extraction.
He informed the South Easterners that the South West geopolitical region, which was always in the opposition, realized the need to be in the centre.
He explained that such realization by the South West was them appropriating the strategy of alliance with the North, which in return, had made them relevant since the return of democracy in 1999.
Chidoka, who recalled how the NCNC/NEPU, NCNC/NPC and NPN/NPP accords saw the South East playing important political leadership roles in the past, advised his kinsmen to revisit the approach for their own benefit.
He made it clear that no zone can achieve the task of producing the President of the country just by counting only on votes or key candidates from her area, as obtained in the South East during the presidential poll.
According to the former Minister, votes from the South East are always in bloc for a particular candidate which entails that any perfect alliance struck by the zone with other power blocs could land a man from the East in Aso Rock.
He further suggested that the PDP could have won the 2023 Presidency if it zoned the ticket to the South East with a Northerner as the running mate.
He pointed out that the South West was fast taking charge of coalition and alliance game plans which put the zone at a better political position.
“The South East should return to the coalition and negotiate with other regions to win the Presidency. It is something we can’t go alone”, he maintained.
On the issues of insecurity, he sympathized with governors in the South East, saying that the failure in security architecture across the country has worsened the South-East case.
He therefore advised the governors to regularly and properly utilize security votes.