"Enough of the Fake Promises In Nigeria, Igbo Presidency not in Our Mind", Says Bishop Okonkwo

The presiding bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr Mike Okonkwo, said that he does not believe in the agitations for Igbo presidency, saying the Igbos should shut their doors and develop the southeast.

Bishop Okonkwo who is the former president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) said this in an interview with The Nation newspaper.

Asked if he believes in an Igbo presidency in 2023, the cleric said: “I’m an Igbo man and as far as I’m concerned, I don’t believe in Igbos looking for presidency. The Igbos should shut their doors and develop the Southeast. We are fighting for the wrong things.”

The bishop said that what the country need is restructuring, not necessarily Igbo presidency.

He continued: “As far as I am concerned, this nation needs restructuring. The reason everyone is jostling for presidency is because of the juicy largesse that comes from there. Let every person go to his own region and develop it. Make the center less attractive. Unbundle this center. Let people go, if you have anything to offer, go to your region and get it done. For me, I am not an advocate of Igbo presidency.

“No doubt, Igbos have been marginalised. I’m not taking that out. They have been deprived, but my point is; let’s not use that as bait, as if we’re doing the Igbos a favour. We are all Nigerians. Everyone is entitled to rule this country.

"That was my joy when Jonathan became president of this country. I was excited in the sense that for once, let it be said that a minority can rule this country. In fact, I was happy that he came on board. Unfortunately, he played with it and this is where we are.

“So for me, Igbos should not be thinking of that. Let’s even be thinking of how to restructure the country. But if God decides that he has something to do through an Igbo man within this country, in order for us to get where we are going, I don’t have any issues with that. But let it not be the bait that were offering you presidency. What makes them think if they say it, they will do it?

Meanwhile, in an earlier report byNAIJ.com, the founder of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, made recommendations on what could be the solution to the challenges faced by Nigeria as a nation.

Speaking on Sunday, April 23, in his church, Suleman urged Nigerians to vote for an Igbo president in the forthcoming 2019 general election. The man of God said an Igbo president would end the decline in the unemployment rate and possibly revive Nigeria's economy.