The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, says he is going to be a stepping stone for an Igbo presidency in Nigeria.
Mr Atiku stated this on Thursday in Awka, the Anambra State capital, when he flagged off his campaign for the South-east region, according to a report by Channel TV.
“I am going to be a stepping stone to an Igbo president in this country. I have shown it in my action because this is the third time that I am running with an Igbo man. If you really want to produce a president, then vote for the Atiku-Okowa ticket,” he told a crowd of Igbos who gathered at the venue.
The former vice president expressed gratitude to the people of the state for their “warm reception” during the rally.
“I never thought I will see such a crowd in Anambra State, and believe me, we are not going to forget you, we are going to reward you handsomely,” Mr Atiku added.
There have been calls from South-east leaders that the region should be allowed to produce a Nigerian president for the first time in 2023.
But the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition PDP, the two dominant political parties in Nigeria, picked their candidates outside the region during their separate presidential primaries in May.
The two parties subsequently ignored the region in the selection of their vice presidential candidates.
Some leaders in the South-east have argued that the emergence of the Nigerian president from the region would end the Biafra agitation.
