The South-East APC Presidency Project 2023, a project of South-East APC Integrity Group is set to announce its preferred aspirant to present to their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the 2023 presidential election

The South-East APC Presidency Project 2023, which is seeking to enthrone an Igbo son or daughter as the President of Nigeria, “is a three-year project that was launched in January 2020 and will terminate in February 2023 with the election of President of Nigeria of South-East extraction on APC or any other party platform.”

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu.

He said, “Yes, whoever we select and present will become President of Nigeria, all things being equal.

“In line with our timeline, we are supposed to announce our choice of presidential aspirant/candidate by the end of July 2021.

“We must apologize for not meeting up with that deadline. But we will not miss first week of August 2021.

“So, expect announcement of our preferred aspirant/candidate by Friday this week – 6th August 2021”, Dr. Jideofo-Ogbuagu assured.

He added that the preferred aspirant must be credible, marketable, free, available, willing, ready, and capable.

“Once the announcement is made, our Project will have entered its third and final phase”, he added.

The South East APC Integrity Group had shortlisted five

The South-East APC Presidency Project 2023 had recently revealed that the earlier shortlisted aspirants after its first and second ballots were never contacted before the exercise.

The group had also noted that its selection process would be entering the next stage.

In the order of votes scored in the second ballot, from the highest down, the earlier shortlisted aspirants include Hon Dr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the current Minister of State; Dr Ogbonnaya Ọnụ, also a serving Minister of Science and Technology; Engr. David Nweze Umahi, the current Governor of Ebonyi State; Mr Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and former Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); and Barr. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime, a former governor of Enugu State.

“None of them had been consulted before they were nominated for the selection process, and the third stage of the selection exercise was essentially to ascertain their availability, willingness and readiness to lead our Project all the way to general election victory”, Dr. Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu earlier explained.

While insisting that all the five shortlisted aspirants were qualified and capable individuals of South East and that any of them could lead the zone to 2023 presidential election victory, the group added that “the third stage of the selection exercise was essentially to ascertain their availability, willingness and readiness to lead our Project all the way to general election victory.”

However, the South East APC regretted the the Integrity Group “have to announce that the availability, willingness and readiness to lead us all the way to 2023 presidential election victory were found missing in all five individuals.”

Lamenting that the presidential primaries of the various parties will hold in less than one year, from July 2021, the group “cannot continue to wait on anyone who may or may not become available, willing and ready when it will have become too late to lead us to victory at both primary and general elections.

“We need that presidential aspirant NOW who is free, available, willing and ready to be our presidential aspirant on APC platform or on any other reasonable party platform” the South East APC said in an earlier statement.