Chairman, Technical Committee for Abubakar Atiku Presidential project, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi has denied saying that nobody from the South-East geopolitical zone can be president in 2023.
He blamed his traducers for fabricating the “bloody lie” to blackmail him.
Dokpesi, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), gave the clarification while addressing leaders of the party in Abia State in Umuahia on Monday.
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Dokpesi recounted instances where he had used personal resources to defend the Igbo cause, adding that many of his closest friends were from the South-East.
He said that contrary to reports, he did not grant any interview but only had a private chat with a friend but an eavesdropper picked his words and twisted it out of context to blackmail him.
“I don’t have anything against the South East. I never said nobody from the South East can be President. Bloody lie! I never said so.
“I used my platforms – AIT and Ray Power Radio to cover the lifetime of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and other Igbo sons, at no cost but my own cost. I gave them free airtime that runs in millions of Naira.
“In 2014 National Conference I stood and defended the South East for the creation of additional two states. All the meetings held in my house before we went for consensus at the floor of the Conference. My best friends and associates come from the South East.
“I have my greatest respect for the South East. I believe there are many qualified and capable South Easterners who are qualified to lead this country,” Dokpesi said.
He added, “Often I have created a platform for IPOB to defend itself.
“I belong to the school of thought that believes that IPOB is not doing anything wrong. Their actions were borne out of injustice, out of neglect, and out of the incapacity of the present President; his absolute failure which started since 1985.
“He has neglected the South East and those wrongs have to be corrected at the right time.”
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