Former Senate President and current Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party, has expressed concerns over the possibility of not witnessing an Igbo man assume the presidency in his lifetime due to what he perceives as calculated political manipulations against the Igbo race.
In an exclusive interview with Vanguard, the 75-year-old diplomat and elder statesman expressed his concern about the reluctance to trust the Igbo community with the presidency.
He emphasized the potential of an Igbo president to positively impact Nigeria, citing the Igbo people’s achievements across various fields.
In his words, “I may not be alive to see an Igbo man become President of Nigeria. It’s so painful and it gives me concern. I don’t know why Nigeria does not seem to have trust in us.
“But the fact remains that an Igbo man can fix Nigeria if given the opportunity. But unfortunately, some forces seem not to be comfortable with this.
“The Igbo man has proved his mettle and thrives virtually in every field of human endeavour, yet, Nigeria does not believe in allowing him to come to power. There is no doubt we will make Nigeria great if allowed to be President.
“Unknown to these forces, as long as the Igbo man is down politically, the entire country will be down! Nigeria has nothing to lose but all to gain if an Igbo man is allowed and supported to take a shot at the Presidency”.
The former Senate President argued that the Igbo ethnic group is the most de-tribalized in Nigeria, ready to sacrifice for national unity.
He stated that an Igbo president would bring fairness, emphasizing their non-tribalistic nature.
Wabara supported his claim by proposing a six-year single term for the presidency, echoing similar suggestions by political figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
According to him, a single term would eliminate the desperation for a second term, allowing each geopolitical zone to produce a president once every 36 years.
He further emphasized the need for constitutional guarantees to ensure diversity, pointing out historical instances where goalposts were shifted during the South East’s presidential aspirations.
Wabara concluded by highlighting the importance of securing the Igbo man’s opportunity to contribute to Nigeria’s progress saying, “Anytime it gets to our turn, some people-mathematical engineering and changes will come up just because they want to deny the Igbo man his opportunity to fix Nigeria.”
