Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Apex Igbo socio-cultural organzation, has warned all presidential aspirants from the South-East not to consider settling for the position of running mate in the 2023 election.

The warning came amid rumour that former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi was considering taking the position of running mate to Atiku Abubakar.

Obi was the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 general election. It is now being rumoured that he would deputize Atiku again in the forthcoming election.

In a press statement which was made available to journalists in Enugu on Wednesday, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike cautioned that Igbo youths would not take it lightly with Obi or any other presidential aspirant from the region who accepts to play a second fiddle.

“Speculation has been rife that Mr. Peter Obi, Okwute Ndigbo has accepted to be Atiku’s running mate and we cannot ignore it again.

“This is why we are sounding a note of warning that neither Obi nor any other Igbo man or woman should jettison this project. They should not accept to be a spare tire any more.

“No Igbo man should be cajoled out of this race because we are part and parcel of this country. If it is otherwise, this is the time to let us know and we will take our fate in our hands.

“We are saying for the umpteenth time that both the APC and the PDP should micro-zone their presidential tickets to the South-East. Anything short of that is unacceptable,” Okwu stated.