Igbo Presidency Doesn't Exist, Says Okorocha

Rochas Okorocha, Senator representing Imo West has called on people from the South-East region of Nigeria to abandon hopes of clinching Nigeria's top job in the future.

He made the call while speaking to newsmen shortly after he was sworn in as a Senator on Thursday in Abuja.

Okorocha said the rotation of power will not get to the South-east because, “Power is not given, power is taken."

He said, “The South East cannot just fold their arms and expect power to be given to them just because you want power. Power does not go with sentiment some of the times, it’s on issues on the ground.

“Democracy is about the people and the South East alone cannot make themselves president. So you cannot be talking about Igbo presidency, it doesn’t exist. We may be talking about Nigeria’s president of Igbo extraction but that depends on what other geopolitical zones think about the issue.

“For me, what is important is let power be given to somebody who has something 'upstairs' who can put food on the table of common man, irrespective of religion or where you come from.

He noted that the South East needs to mend fences across the country in other to remain relevant politically.
Okorocha added: “There is a need for the Igbo to mend fences. We are neither here nor there politically. We are not in the ruling party or are we making an impact on the opposition. So, there is a need for us to get married to the rest of the nation politically.

“I am here to do things dear to my heart. One of them is: the bridge connecting the south-east to other ethnic groups seems to be very faulty, resulting from the politics we have played in the south-east. It will be my pleasure to reconnect this bridge so that the south-east people will move along at the same pace with other geopolitical zones.

“My second mission (at) the National Assembly is to see the possibility of making free education a reality so that the children of the poor can go to school. If I achieve these, I will be glad that I did, as a member of the senate.

“The third one is, I am concerned about the killings and destruction of lives in the northern part of this country. Whatever we can do on the floor of the Senate, we will to have the executive curb this insurgency. I will be here and happy to work with my colleagues.”