Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has appealed to politicians in the South East to re-strategise and make adequate preparations on how to win the 2023 presidential poll.
The minister, in an interview with Daily Sun, cautioned the zone against repeating the ‘mistake’ made by the presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, who ran in a relatively unknown party.
Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State, re-iterated an earlier call on Ndigbo to pitch tent with the two main political parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – which he said offered greater opportunity to the zone to actualise their presidential aspiration.
Ngige, who described Moghalu as an illustrious igbo son and eminently qualified for the post of president, said his quest failed because the YPP was an unpopular platform.
He said Moghalu, rather than aspire for the president, would have launched his aspiration by first contesting for the governorship or National Assembly seat.
“Even in a village meeting, you must stand up and indicate interest for whatever position you want. You make it a topic, and of course, seek for support.
“That’s how the game goes. You don’t stay away from the scene and at the same time be saying that you want power. So, there is still time for us, the Igbo, to go and reinforce.We need to reinforce in the two main political parties. That is what I am saying.
“If you go to Young Progressive Party you won’t be able to win even a local government. You are not the only one contesting. Dr. Moghalu, my very good friend who was deputy governor of Central Bank. He said that he was going to YPP. I called him and said ‘young man, you have not carried politics bag. You have not served anybody in politics.
Why would you jump into presidential race; not even for House of Representatives?’ If he had declared for governorship, we would have, maybe appealed to him to go for House of Representatives. So, one has to carry politics bag and learn from his master. You have to learn the art of politics.”
