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A former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka believes the southeast should continue to liaise with other parts of the country to improve the region’s chances of getting the presidential seat.

He made the comment when he was featured on Channels Television’s Politics Today amid claims that the region has been sidelined by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 elections. Chidoka argues that collaboration with other regions will be key to having a president from the southeast.

“What I think the southeast is going to be doing is recalibrate our presence in the PDP and continue our strong push for a president from the southeast,” the PDP chieftain said on Thursday.

“So, I think we have four to eight years between us and the presidency. We need a strong candidate. We need to continue building on what we have gained already. We need to build ourselves up to be able to present that candidate that would tell the country ‘It is our turn’. And that our turn will be fought on the grounds of the Eagle Square; on the grounds of wherever the primary is,” Chidoka added.

“We hope that that candidate will be able to elicit votes from other parts of the country because southeast votes are not going to make as president. No matter how many southeast votes we get for ourselves, we need to convince the rest of the country to support our aspirations.”

Chidoka, who spoke on the heels of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s emergence as the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP, believes that the Delta State leader is eminently qualified to serve as Atiku’s running mate.