Ezeji Identifies Obstacle To Emergence Of President Of Igbo Extraction

Joachim Ezeji, Chief Executive Officer of the Gulf of Guinea Risk and Resilience Institute has identified competing presidential ambitions among leaders as the obstacle to Igbo political cohesion.

Speaking on Signature TV, Ezeji identified a fundamental challenge facing the region which has made it difficult for the Igbo to produce a Nigerian president.

“One problem we have in Igboland: everybody wants to be the king. Everybody wants to be the king. That is the thing,” he stated.

The analyst cited specific examples of prominent politicians with presidential aspirations.

Referencing Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor Kalu, Ezeji noted, “When you look at a recent interview from Orji Uzor Kalu—you’d see he obviously wants to be the one that will be the president even if the president will come from Igboland.”

He also questioned the motives behind Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo’s public criticism of Peter Obi.

“Why do you think Governor Soludo is busy mounting all those talks against Peter Obi? Because he’s a professor, he should be the one to become president from Igbo extraction,” Ezeji suggested.

Ezeji extended his analysis beyond the Southeast region, noting similar dynamics in Rivers State.

“Even when you go to Rivers State, you have our brother there. You have somebody like Nyesom Wike who feels he should be the president. The same thing with Rotimi Amaechi,” he said, referring to current Minister Nyesom Wike and former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi.

According to the institute CEO, these politicians from the South-South region believe “the Igbo that should be president should not come from the southeast, probably should be from the south-south.”

Ezeji concluded that these competing interests represent a significant barrier. “So that’s the problem we have until we have a consensus,” he stated.