A former Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has said that the South-East was ready to kneel down, even prostrate and beg in order to get the opportunity to become Nigeria’s President come 2023.

Ezeife said this at the United for Better Nigeria Initiative National Convention in Abuja on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the elder statesman said it was the right time for Ndigbo to produce the next President of the country.

He, however, pointed out that Presidency is not given to anyone but people have to work and show that they really merit the position.

Ezeife noted that one of the ways to put a South Easterner in power come 2023 was for the region to swallow its pride and start begging every other region for the presidential seat.

“So I found Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and other groups in this place talking about the need for federal character. If you do it that way, there will be unity, if there is fairness, equity, justice, you will have unity and progress,” he said.

“In the absence of those, you see where we are now. It is not a matter of to give us president, we don’t give, you have to work for it, the Igbo does not prostrate.

“The Igbo man does not kneel down but this time, we are prepared to kneel down to every part of Nigeria, every group, every ethnic group in Nigeria, we are prepared to even prostrate because we believe in this country.”