Traders of South-East extraction at home and across the country on Monday in Enugu backed the clamour for Igbo president.

They urged all political parties to give their presidential tickets to Igbo presidential aspirants.

Ex-Governors Orji Kalu (Abia), Peter Obi (Anambra), Chris Ngige (Anambra), and Rochas Okorocha (Imo), among others are interested in running for president in the 2023 general elections.

The traders expressed their support for South-East presidential aspirants on the platform of the South East Amalgamated Markets Traders Association (SEAMATA).

The call is contained in a statement signed and issued by SEAMATA’s president-general, Gozie Akudolu and secretary-general, Alex Okwudili, after the association’s April 27 meeting.

It called on all political parties “in the interest of equity, justice, fairness, and balance of power’’ to zone the 2023 presidential candidacy to the South-East.

The traders disclosed that they were “aggressively” sensitising their members to register and collect Permanent Voter Cards.

“Our members throughout the country should ensure that all members of their households who are 18 years and above are also registered. We continue to encourage aspirants to the office of the President of Nigeria who are from the South-East not to relent as we are mobilising full support for them from our members” added the statement. “We commend groups from the South-East and all the ethnic nationalities who are throwing their un-alloyed support for a president of South-East extraction. Together, we shall succeed.”

The traders added, “We encourage voters to vote only for candidates of Southeast extraction with track record of outstanding achievements in private and public service. They should vote for South-East aspirants whose character and integrity are without blemish and whose performance in the office shall be the pride of every Igbo man.”

The group also called on “all persons of South-East extraction both at home and in the diaspora to use all legitimate means within their power to support and push for this all-important project.”

The traders also appealed to “our customers from other geopolitical zones as well as party delegates to see the urgent need of collectively ending the marginalisation of the South-East.”

SEAMATA further appealed to “those still challenging the right of the South-East to produce the president in 2023 to take a cursory look at equity, justice and fairness and withdraw their aspirations for posterity to be fair to them.” 

(NAN)