THE Southeast should not be denied the chance to produce the president in 2023, a former old Anambra State Governor Chief Jim Nwobodo said on Monday.

He said it was the turn of the Igbo to produce the president, the West and the North having had shots at the top job since 1999.

Nwobodo, also a former Senator, spoke in his Amechi country home when a chieftaincy title was bestowed on him by the Amurri Ancient Kingdom.

“We should not be denied it. It is the right of the Igbo to produce the president, whether in the All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” he said.

He was conferred with the title eziokwu bu ndu (truth is life) by the Igwe of Amurri, Charles Nwoye, represented by a Crown Prince, Dr Ben Nwoye, who is APC chairman in Enugu State.

Nwobodo maintained that for justice and equity to reign, the Igbo should produce the number one citizen in 2023.

“It is time for Igbo presidency. At 80 I can say anything, nothing to be afraid of again.

“We are not joking about it. I’m serious about it. 2023 is the turn of Southeast to produce the president of Nigeria,” he said.

The elder statesman stressed that “the country is sitting on a tripod and Igbo are one of the tripods and can’t be relegated to the background.”

Nwobodo added: “We are all one irrespective of political affiliation. Whether APC or PDP, I see everyone as a brother.”

On why he left the APC, he said: “It is inconsistent. I can’t understand what was going on there.

“We were three who started PDP in Nigeria. Myself, the late Dr Alex Ekwueme and the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo. I am the only one alive among the three of us.

“I am back to PDP because it’s my natural habitat. I can understand every movement in the PDP.”

He said the chieftaincy title meant so much to him.

“I value the title more than any other because I’m known to always say the truth no matter the situation,” Nwobodo said.

Nwoye said Nwobodo deserved the title for standing for the truth and his legacies, especially in education.