By CHARLES IWUOHA

Traders in the country have backed the clamour for South-East Presidency come 2023; urging political parties to give aspirants from the zone a chance to take a shot at the presidency.

Traders under the auspices of South East Amalgamated Markets Traders Association (SEAMATA), umbrella union of traders in all markets in South-East and all traders of South-East extraction doing business across states of the Federation made the call on Monday through a communiqué issued in Enugu and made available to newsmen.

SEAMTA President-General, Chief Gozie Akudolu, and the Secretary-General, Mr Alex Okwudili, signed the communiqué which is the outcome of a national general meeting of the group held in Owerri, Imo, on Wednesday, April 27, 2022.

The communiqué called on all political parties in the Federation, “in the interest of equity, justice, fairness, and balance of power,” to zone the 2023 presidential position to the South-East.

According to the communiqué, the vowed to intensify efforts to sensitise all their members to active participants in the ongoing political process, especially getting their members to register and collect their PVCs.

The communiqué reads in part: “To continue with her advocacy and aggressively sensitise our members to register and collect the INEC permanent voter's card at centres close to their respective residences.

“Our members throughout the country should ensure that all members of their households who are 18 years and above are also registered.

“To 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.

“To commend the groups from the South-East and all the ethnic nationalities who are throwing their un-alloyed support for the President of South-East extraction. Together, we shall succeed.

“To vote only for candidates of South-East extraction with a track record of outstanding achievements in private and public service; whose character and integrity is without blemish, whose performance in the office shall be the pride of every Igbo man.

“To call on all persons of South-East extraction both at home and in Diaspora to use all legitimate means within their powers to support and push for this all important project.

“To appeal to our customers from other geo-political zones as well as party delegates to see the urgent need of collectively ending the marginalization of the South-East.”

It appealed to those still challenging the right of the South-East to produce the President in 2023 to have a cursory look at equity, justice and fairness and withdraw their aspiration for posterity to be fair to them.