ABA—The youth wing of the pan Igbo socio -cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has commended the former military heads of state, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Yakubu Gowon over their support for the election of a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction.
Former President Ibrahim Babangida
Babangida had said in an interview that he will back an Igbo for the presidential seat in 2019 if he finds a credible personality while Gowon had openly canvassed for an Igbo president to preside over the affairs of Nigeria in the nearest future.
National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo youth wing, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, in an interview with Vanguard, described the two former leaders as the conscience of the nation, stressing that their support for Igbo presidency had given Ndigbo hope that they would find greater accommodation within a united Nigeria.
He explained that an Igbo presidency would finally heal the scars left by the unfortunate civil war and the marginalization of Ndigbo in the affairs of the nation.
“Ohanaeze youths commended the two former military heads of state for their love for the unity of Nigeria through their support for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction.
“A Nigerian President of Igbo extraction is desirable in 2019 after President Muhammadu Buhari. An Igbo presidency will boost the unity of Nigeria. Former President Ibrahim Babangida said he will back an Igbo if he finds one; but we assured him and other Nigerians that Ndigbo have credible personalities who have the capacity to govern Nigeria.”
Isiguzoro urged political parties to zone their presidential candidates to the South East and called on Ndigbo to support Buhari’s administration.
“If we can get Senator Ike Ekeremadu as a PDP presidential candidate and Rochas Okorcocha as the APC presidential candidate in 2019, it will end the cries of marginalization including protests by Biafra agitators.”
So even the leadership of our so-called Ohanaeze Ndigbo still lives and shares in the illusion that Biafra died in 1970 and as such that all matters relating thereto ceased to exist thenceforth – based on the imposed and theoretical “end” of the Nigeria-Biafra war which in the estimation Yakubu Gowon ended on the note of no victor, no vanquished? Indeed, to say the least, it is just a pity that this sort of remark could be blurted out by an ordinary Igbo person in the first instance, let alone when it is reported to have emanated from a hitherto highly respected group of elders who as a matter of fact are not only in position to know but also to speak authoritatively about the fact of the subsisting state of Biafra in the hearts and minds of the vast majority of our people (old and young alike) and in their spirits too.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Of course, we have been reportedly told by Dr. Chris Eluomunoh (the Chairman of forum of state Presidents of Ohanaeze in the seven Igbo-speaking states) that the mere fact that the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, did contest for Senatorial election under the Nigerian political fabrics, and coming in the aftermath of the Nigeria-Biafra war, marked the actual demise of Biafra as a sovereign state (?). Anyway, much as it is not the intention here to begin to join issues with some of our highly respected elders and chieftains of Ohanaeze Ndigbo on issues bordering on the raging pro-Biafra demonstrations across the states of the Igbo enclave and beyond, the truth of the matter is that our individual and collective failure to set the record straight now, and within the purview of justifiable historical realities, will not only amount to doing a great disservice to ourselves and posterity alike, but also it will avail charlatans, opportunists and, above all, mischief-makers ample opportunities to re-write our history for us and in the process present and propagate sheer fallacies, canards and personal opinions as historical facts.
To begin with, perhaps not a handful of us (Ndigbo) still recall that it was basically because of this sort of unbecoming attitude and unhistorical remarks which tended to emanate from certain members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo that the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu would be impelled to disagree sometimes with the positions being canvassed by the leadership of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on certain serious issues of regional interest and concern, during his life time.
Moreover, concerning Dr. Chris Eluomunoh’s assertion that Biafra died since 1970 and which, according to him, can be well buttressed by reference to late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s political participation in Nigeria, there is no gainsaying that this is one of the examples of the awkward mentality of some of our Igbo elders and Chieftains of Ohanaeze Ndigbo who, while parading themselves as leaders, are most unfortunately endowed with oddities instead leadership qualities and this in itself can be implicated as part of the bane of Igbo leadership. And the reasons for this submission are not far-fetched.
First and foremost, as one may wish to know, what has Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s political participation in Nigeria, in the aftermath of the Nigeria-Biafra war, got to do with the obvious fact that the people of Igbo nation, particularly their youths, still desire and agitate for self-determination and/or the establishment of the sovereign state of Biafra, decades after the Nigerian state led by General Yakubu Gowon had brutally waged one of the bloodiest wars in the history of humanity against their forebears? And even though the people’s General, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, did rightly decide to participate actively in the Nigerian politics (which we all know is a continuation of war by other means), does this decision in itself vitiate the fact that this legend never for once gave up on Biafra and the pursuit of the cause of his people till he breathed his last? Even by stretch of anybody’s imagination, is there any proof that Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu did at any time downplayed or undermined the agitation for Biafra or the fact of its survival on the minds of the people?
On the contrary, rather, it is still very much on records that Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu never relented in giving his unalloyed support to Mr. Ralph Uwazurike-led Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), throughout his life and time. Incidentally, unlike Dr. Chris Eluomunoh and his ilk in the Ohanaeze Ndigbo group, our dear Ojukwu would never have failed or hesitated to pressure President Muhammadu Buhari to release Mr. Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally, if he were to be alive today.
To this end, it will suffice at this juncture to take a look at his immortal words of reproach to the then government of President Olusegun Obasanjo over the continued incarceration of Ralph Uwazurike and other MASSOB members as follows: “There were so many still in detention. And very often, you ask, what have they done? Why are they still in detention? It’s like you and I are talking. Today, the Niger-Delta is in flames but their union leader, with all threats he has made, is not in detention now. On the Yoruba side, in the West, the leader of OPC, everybody knows. He is not in detention. Why do you then have to keep locked in detention, Ralph Uwazurike? He is still there in detention. Sooner or later people will say it’s because he is an Igbo man” (see Newswatch, July 30, 2007).
Interestingly, does the above excerpt portray late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in any way as a man who actually gave up on the cause of Biafra or one who chickened away from supporting his people’s inalienable right to peacefully, legitimately and non-violently seek self-determination from the Nigerian state?
On the other hand, assuming that Biafra became a dead phenomenon in the 1970 as Dr. Eluomuno is inclined to think, then the question that follows is: why does the name (beyond looking at the increasingly current agitation over it) still evoke concern, fear, trepidation, comments, actions and reactions? In the same vein, why must the likes of Generals Gowon and Obasanjo appear to be in a hurry to speak to the public about the dead (phenomenon) called Biafra? Or, is it no longer customary and instructive in our clime not to speak (ill) about the dead? Or, again, could it be that Dr. Chris Eluomunoh merely wants the pro-Biafra protesters to reckon with his self-conceited idea which seems to postulate that an unrealizable dream of yesterday can no longer be earnestly pursued or realized as a viable last resort of today or as the hobson’s choice that allows for the attainment of a guaranteed prosperous future for a people?
Indeed, it is high time that Dr. Chris Eluomunoh and his Ohanaeze Ndigbo group co-travellers began to throw their weight behind the growing demands for an immediate convening of a United Nations’ backed referendum in Nigeria and the non-violation of the inalienable right of Ndigbo to seek self-determination, bearing in mind that the Nigerian state as presently structured and operated, especially under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, is clearly nothing to build on and repose a people’s hope in it for their general good and security alike.
COORDINATOR of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah in this interview calls for unity of purpose among political leaders of the Niger Delta extraction. He opines that with a common voice, the long expected development of the region may become realistic.
By Charles Kumolu
What is your perception of the state of the nation?
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
The way the Federal Government is handling the Biafra agitation in the East is very dangerous. They are taking the wrong steps by ignoring the agitations that are going on. For the first time since the end of the civil war, we are seeing an organised agitation. The Igbo man cannot ordinarily abandon his business for something else, but now we are seeing Igbo men leaving their businesses in order to agitate.
That tells you that they are serious. Seeing them sacrificing their time, energy and money, should be enough to make the Federal Government interested in the matter. Threats by the army, are not acceptable. We expect the government to tell us why they are detaining Kanu. Intimidation did not work when we had our Kaima Declaration during the military era. When they threatened us, we became resilient.
Do you think the Igbo man has a cause to protest?
Yes, the Igbo have something to protest against just as the Ijaw man has something to protest against. Why are they denying the Igbo the right of seeing their son, who was arrested? They can’t be denied that right. I went to court to stop the dredging of the River Niger during the military era because there was no environmental assessment. The government under Abacha awarded the contract through the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF. I went to my lawyer, Femi Falana and we stopped the dredging through legal process.
If the government had not obeyed the judiciary on the matter, we would have resorted to other alternatives which would not have been in the interest of the government. I questioned the justification for wanting to have a sea port in Baro in Niger State, while our ports in Warri, Koko and Akasa were moribund.
Justification for seaport in Baro
They wanted to dredge the River Niger from Warri to Onitsha and to Lokoja before finally connecting it to Baro, which is close to Abuja. So the government should listen to the Igbo the way we were listened to during the military.
Do you think the Niger-Delta region is fairly represented in Buhari’s government?
Niger Deltans are not well represented in the government and we don’t know why they are doing that. Maybe it is being done because the region produced the immediate past president.
But those, who may be thinking in that direction, do not have conscience. If you look at the way Jonathan worked, it will not be difficult to know that the north benefited more from him. He did that because he believed in the unity of this country.
And the new administration has also started treating the Niger Delta people wrongly. For instance the Urhobo nation which is a sophisticated ethnic group has not been given any appointment. We have not seen any solid appointment that befits the Urhobo nation and we are asking them to correct this type of insult.
But Jonathan was also believed to have insulted the Urhobo nation in that regard?
Well, you must have seen my publications. I Joseph Evah, I told Jonathan, ‘You are embarrassing the Urhobo people.’ I don’t do Ijaw struggle, what I do is Niger Delta struggle. That has been our major setback. To see yourself as Ogoni man, Itsekiri man or Ijaw man and so when we are divided the external oppressors will now deal with us.
A number of persons from the Niger Delta region felt that the Ijaw took over everything and looked down on the rest of the Niger Delta people when Jonathan was in power?
A lot of our people were actually misbehaving and we cautioned them. They were behaving as if this was the time for Ijaw people as if it was Christmas Day and the Christmas Day is forever and we cautioned them.
We tried to caution them that Jonathan was representing all Niger Deltans.
In fact, not only the Niger Delta, when people tried to make Jonathan an Ijaw President or tried to do as if Jonathan ends with Ijaw we tried to warn them that it is very dangerous. For example, 100% of the Igbo committed themselves to Jonathan’s presidency. That was why when Ojukwu died, I organised farewell to Emeka Ojukwu. I mobilised over 5000 people to the National Theatre. I paid N1.5 million to mobilise over 5000 people to take over the National Theater for us to celebrate Ojukwu. The Eze Ndi Igbo were there. I took micro finance loan to organize it and I announced it.
Jonathan presidency
The reason was that during the war, we did not follow the Igbos. We supported the northerners against our Igbo brothers. Now, Jonathan is the President of Nigeria, Igbo had to forget about the way we maltreated them during the war, collectively decided to support Jonathan.
Now, the symbol of Igbo greatness, I call him the Ndi Igbo Black Moses, that is Ojukwu, I said there is need for us to celebrate Ojukwu. We will not allow Ojukwu’s burial without the Niger Delta people celebrating Ojukwu. That was why I organised that and thanked the Igbo for forgiving us because during the civil war, we joined outsiders to kill them. Today our son is the President, you Igbo decided to forgive us.
There are calls for the extension of the amnesty programme, which will end by December. Can you tell us the justification for such calls?
The training of the ex-agitators is still ongoing. Many of them still require to be trained. Even the trained ones are jobless. If the APC government is talking about N5,000 Social Security for the jobless, they should consider extending the amnesty programme because the idle mind is the devil’s workshop. It is not that we are encouraging people to be lazy. We are only concerned about how to make our youths productive and self sufficient.
Former Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor Ben Nwabueze has said that there was need for young men and women to take over the leadership of the Igbo, saying that the old generation of leaders have literally expired.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Nwabueze spoke in Enugu yesterday evening at the 16th annual Convention of the Igbo Youth Movement, IYM.
The event was chaired by the former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, and attended by other Igbo leaders including the former Registrar of WAEC and now traditional ruler in Anambra State, Professor Chukwuemeka Ike; former Ohanaeze Scribe, Chief Nduka Eya; Chief (Mrs) Maria Okwo, former Governor of Abia State and ministerial nominee, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, as well as the traditional ruler of Atani in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Igwe Azuka Ngoddy; Chief Chika Okpala aka Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nwogbo and John Ikechukwu Okafor among others.
However, looking towards the direction of Dr Ekweme, Nwabueze said, “our generation has passed. I am tired. This is the first time I could stand up to address people in the last two years. Ide (Ekwueme) will be 83 years (tomorrow) today. Prof Ike is about 95. All of us on this high table have aged.
“Leadership is not a small matter. We should look for those in their thirties and forties to support.”
Also speaking shortly after the presentation of an award by the IYM on Dr Onu for his honesty and consistency in leadership, Nwabueze described the former governor as the ideal Igbo who should be encouraged for greater responsibility in the country after the administration Muhammadu Buhari.
Others who received various awards included Dr Ekwueme, Professors Nwabueze, Ike and Mr Okafor among others.
Onu in his speech on the occasion, lamented like other speakers, the inability of many young Igbo to communicate with their kith and kin in the Igbo language.
ENUGU—The apex Igbo socio-cultural group,Ohanaeze Ndigbo,yesterday,appealed to the Igbo nation to remain calm in the face of seeming lopsidedness of appointments made so far by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ohanaeze was reacting to the strident outcries that have attended the appointment of the president’s ‘kitchen cabinet’.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
President General,Ohanaeze Ndigbo,Chief Enwo Gary Igariwey, spoke at the Ohanaeze National Secretariat in Enugu during an appraisal meeting on the Igbo nation.
Chief Igariwey said,”we had a meeting of a select group with Ohanaeze NEC to discuss Igbo day celebration. It will be held on a low key. Branches are free to celebrate as they want. But Ohanaeze national will mark Igbo day on a key.
“It will be a day of retreat,tact and unity. The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Akonauche na Njiko’ (tact and unity).
On the issue of appointments, the PG said,”we ask our people not to be disappointed on the seeming lopsidedness of appointments made so far by the president.
“Our people should remain steadfast, think of home, and galvanise efforts towards the development of Igbo nation because nobody will do it for us. We have helped in building Lagos and Abuja among others. It is time to do the same in our own place.
“We should recreate that zeal and develop our place. This years’ celebration is not a time of festival and masquerades,but a tiime for rethink.”
Also, former Secretary General of Ohanaeze,Chief Joe Achuzie,who was miffed by the lopsided ‘kitchen cabinet’ appointments, charged Ndigbo to remain strong and form a veritable opposition that will take over power come 2019.
According to the former scribe,”having known that the president has distributed key positions to his brothers, what worries me is that ministers have been regarded as mere servants by the president. In other words, if an Igbo is appointed minister,he or she will be a mere servant.
“The question is, are we to take up such positions to go and serve him,to go and make him popular? Without an Igbo man being a minister, I do not think the president will survive. So,Igbo should not take ministerial position.”
The recently increasing but clearly unprovoked assault on the rights, freedoms and sensibilities of the Igbo people of South-Eastern Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari-led government does not only deserve condemnation in the strongest terms, but also, and more importantly, it has come to a point that members of the International Community and all other foreign elements (whom Major General Mahummadu Buhari is always willing to confide in them about what he does here or intends doing for Nigerians, whenever he travels out of the country) really need to advise this seemingly quasi-military government to swiftly nip in the bud this gloomy trend before it begets something untoward.
President Buhari
Of course, it is no longer news that the people of the South-East did unambiguously, and reasonably for that matter, show by their preference for the candidature of the erstwhile President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and, also, by their voting pattern – during the just concluded 2015 Presidential election – that Major General Muhammadu Buhari was not, and still is not, that detribalised Nigerian they would wish the most populous black country in the world to parade as their President. Rightly or wrongly, and willy-nilly, this is one of the ways of construing the enormous support and solidarity shown by the people of the South-East to former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 Presidential contest. Good enough, this position had been well articulated by Ohanaeze Ndigbo – the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization – when it reportedly declared in the aftermath of the 2015 Presidential election that the Igbo did not, and still do not, owe any apology to President Muhammadu Buhari, or even his Hausa-Fulani (Northern) enclave, for massively voting for Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. And for the benefit of those who care to know, this is simply the beauty of democracy: of a system which allows certain percentage of a population (call them the minority if you like) to bare their soul, while the remaining scores of others (call them the majority if you still wish) move on to have their way.
Nevertheless, it is pertinent for Mr. Muhammadu Buhari – who is wont to confess to being a converted democrat – to realize that this seemingly unalloyed support and decision of the vast majority of the Igbo people to cast their votes en mass for Dr Goodluck Jonathan, instead of him Buhari, was and still is nothing but a quintessential instance of democracy in action. Hence it is immaterial quibbling about whether he (Jonathan) won or lost, after all.
Therefore, however embittered President Mahammadu Buhari might have become over this enormous show of support for Dr Goodluck Jonathan by Ndigbo, this does not imply that the Igbo must be singled out for persecution or be exposed to what currently seems to be an emerging brand of state sponsored terrorism being apparently unleashed upon them by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Security apparatchiks. In specific terms, the Igbo refusal to cast their votes for Muhammadu Buhari in the just concluded 2015 Presidential election MUST be a reason for the latter to single out the former for unwarranted persecution.
Now to the crux of the matter, it is no longer news that no fewer than seven members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) – an interest group agitating for a complete autonomy of Ndigbo from their present “geographical expression” called Nigeria – were reportedly killed, leaving no less than 30 other members with various degrees of injuries arising from gunshots directed at them by a team of (Muhammadu Buhari’s) Naval personnel assigned to Onitsha naval base.
According to media reports, this murderous attack was maliciously carried out by officers of the Nigerian Navy in a bid to register their hate-driven aversion to a peaceful “evangelization” procession organised by the IPOB group with a view to merely sensitizing the public on the nature of their cause and demands.
Though the Nigeria Navy was later reported to have denied killing members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (sequel to a 14-day ultimatum reportedly issued to Muhammadu Buhari-led government by the youth wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo wherein it demanded that an investigation be carried out on the matter with a view to fishing out and prosecuting the officers responsible for the killing of these unarmed civilians), it is somewhat difficult to write off the reasonable thinking in some quarters that the shedding of the blood of these innocent and unarmed Igbo sons appear to pander to the morbid fascination of the power that be in Abuja. For one, true or false, the thinking of this school of thought seems to derive its validity from the conspicuous indifference shown thus far by President Muhammadu Buhari to this legitimate demand for a probe into the circumstances, the veracity or otherwise, surrounding this reported brutal murder of these hapless civilians of Igbo extraction, by men of the Nigerian Navy.
Meanwhile, this (indifference) is more so disturbing when juxtaposed with the recent and widely reported pronouncement credited to President Buhari on the issue of human rights violation by the Nigerian Military vis-a-vis the ongoing war against the Boko Haram terrorists. As a matter of fact, the media had quoted President Buhari as saying that he would not hesitate to deal with any member or members of the Nigerian Military found to have engaged in human rights abuse or extra-judicial killing in the guise of the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.
Weighed against this backdrop, it arouses deep curiosity that this same President Muhammadu Buhari, earlier credited with the statement indicating his wiliness to swiftly move into investigation and possible prosecution of any member or members of the Nigerian military against whom charges of human rights violation are levelled, now appears docile and apparently turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the grave allegation of murder reportedly perpetrated by the Nigerian Navy in Onitsha, Anambra state, against non-violent and unarmed citizens of Igbo descent. And here, meanwhile, is the President of Nigeria who purportedly belongs to everybody and, therefore, belongs to nobody (?).
Obviously in an attempt to add insult to injury, the Imo state command of the Nigerian Police Force recently invaded the house of (Chief Ralph Uwazurike) the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and, at the end of the raid, reportedly arrested for onward detention many members of the Movement, whose only perceived offences stem from (i) their membership of this pressure group and (ii) their presence in the premises of their leader at the time of this invasion.
Like the case of a man being treated for the disease of the scrotum and he begins to develop at same time a novel case of swelling stomach, this exactly is analogous to the prevailing problem of the Nigerian Police Force: fast returning to the days of its degenerative condition of human rights abuse. Most unfortunately, at a time many Nigerians are still striving to find a place their hearts to forgive the Nigerian Police over its notorious role in the murder of Muhammed Yusuf, the then leader of the Boko Haram sect, and the attendant provocation of the current crisis of terrorism in the country, it is not in the least expected – though in the estimation of rational minds – that the same Police Force could be scouting for avenues to further foment trouble for both rulers and the ruled alike, and/or the country in general.
Now come to think of it, what fate is Nigerian Police Force wishing this already crisis-ridden and traumatized country of ours should any ill befalls the leader of the Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra in the course of this unprovoked assault on Ndigbo by the Nigerian Police?
Certainly, employing such adjectival words like despicable, odious, abysmal and unconscionable may not just be enough to describe and qualify the extent of alleged desecration of churches and items meant for worship (and God) by the men of the Nigerian Police Force during the recent thanksgiving services organised for members of MASSOB in order to mark the celebration of sixteen years of the group’s existence. Bearing in mind the sensitive nature of religious issues in the country vis-a-vis this deplorable action of the Nigerian Police, will it now be a misplaced thinking if the people affected (Ndigbo) begin to view this desecration as a deliberate and flagrant infringement on their constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion and worship or, in addition, as part of the seemingly renewed attack on Christianity in Nigeria – which the rumour making rounds about the alleged plan to relocate Aso Rock villa church has not in any way helped matters either?
But be that as it may, the point must be rammed home for the government of the day, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, that there is a wide gap of difference between a violent group (as could be aptly found in the Boko Haram sect) agitating for autonomy from the federation of Nigeria and non-violent groups (as epitomized by the MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra) equally agitating for the same autonomy. To this end, therefore, there is no justifiable reason(s) for the current state sponsored assault on the fundamental human rights of Igbo people legitimately demanding for self-determination.
By and large, much as President Muhammadu Buhari is still very much at liberty to carry on with his reward-and-punish appointment policy within the ambit of all relevant laws, it is imperative for him to know that this does not confer on him the unquestionable power to maliciously persecute Ndigbo for no just cause. A stitch in time saves nine.
Onyiorah Paschal Chiduluemije writes fromAbuja and can be reached via facebook or twitter @onyiorahpaschal.
The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned the reinstatement of the dismissed Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zakari Biu.
Zakari Biu
Biu was on Friday reinstated and statutorily retired by the Police Service Commission, nearly three years after he was dismissed for allegedly aiding the escape of Boko Haram mastermind, Kabiru Sokoto.
Sokoto, who is now serving a jail term in Abuja, was convicted for the bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State.
It will be recalled that no fewer than 44 worshipers of the church lost their lives on the eve of 2011 Christmas.
The Ohanaeze Youth Council accused the President Muhammadu Buhari- led Federal Government of pursuing a northern agenda.
In a statement issued by the National President of the OYC, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, on Sunday, the group said the action of the Police Service Commission had confirmed that “Buhari’s administration indeed belongs to the North and not to everybody.”
The group said, “The manner and impunity with which the Buhari administration is reversing some laudable actions and policies of his predecessor without minding the security implications calls for concern. The decision of the PSC is very worrisome and against all known norms and true justice.”
The OYC said that by reinstating Biu, President Buhari had demonstrated that he had no regard for the lives of the innocent worshipers who perished in the bomb blast masterminded by Sokoto.
The statement partly read, “Before now, we were shouting over the recent lopsided appointments made by the President, where the South-East was deliberately ignored, but the worst has come by rewarding a man who aided Kabiru Sokoto after he snuffed life out of over 44 Igbo indigenes and left over 70 others critically injured.
“Our questions are these: What effort has the present administration made to know the situation of the victims of that bomb blast? What effort has the government made to know the condition of the bereaved families, considering that most of the victims were their bread winners?
“It is obvious that Mr. President cares less about the Ndigbo in this country; we are saying that the current administration is dragging this country into ethnic chaos and it will not yield any good fruit.”
Igbo Leaders of Thought, a body of eminent Igbo personalities, has warned that the plan to probe the immediate past federal government should not be a ploy to humiliate political opponents of President Muhammadu Buhari, including former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Jonathan vs Buhari
The group, led by constitutional lawyer, Professor Ben Nwabueze, also urged Buhari to immediately restructure Nigeria without delay.
In a statement titled “Only truth and justice endures,” which was signed by its deputy secretary, Evangelist Elliot Uko, the group said the impending probe must be devoid of “witch-hunting and smear agenda.”
It stressed that the probe would be reduced to a jamboree if it becomes an avenue to humiliate political opponents.
Using the probe to humiliate political opponents of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government would cause problems for the country, the Igbo Leaders of Thought warned.
“Desirable as the probe and prosecution of corrupt officials of the outgone regime is, we must endeavour to avoid witch-hunting and smear agenda.
“Only the probe and prosecution of factual, traceable and clearly identifiable cases of abuse of office and misuse of public funds will inspire confidence and receive commendation of the citizenry and the international community.
“Humiliating and deliberately degrading political opponents in the guise of probe and prosecution of corrupt officials will only reduce the whole exercise to a jamboree, that could lead to a lot of a acrimony and bad blood which we believe, is the last thing Nigeria needs at the moment,” the group said in the statement.
The Igbo Leaders of Thought also insisted on the restructuring of the country into federating units.
The proposed restructuring of the country was canvassed by several groups, including the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, during the 2014 national constitutional conference.
Insisting on restructuring, the Igbo Leaders of Thought argued that it would amount to living in denial to pretend that the current federal structure was sustainable.
The group noted that fighting corruption and insurgency alone would not be enough to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the country’s future.
Arguing that the current federal structure, which was established by the military, was the bane of contemporary Nigeria, the Igbo Leaders of Thought described the proposed restructuring of the country as urgent.
It said, “We believe that Nigerians from all persuasions, political divide, zone or status all agreed that the unity, security, stability of Nigeria should be the priority of all concerned at this juncture of our national growth.
“Sincerity of purpose, commitment to what is best for the country and for the good of all should guide actions and steps of our new leaders.
“While views and opinions may differ on solutions to the myriad of problems confronting us as a people, truth is usually located somewhere near the court of justice, equity and fair play.
“Continuing to pretend that the present political structure is sustainable is clearly to live in denial of reality.”
CONTRARY to fears being expressed in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari will overlook the South-East in appointments and execution of capital projects because the zone did not give him maximum support in the last election, he is out to woo the zone, a source has said.
According to the source, the President wants to carry all parts of the country along in his administration and would execute projects in the South-East that will surprise his ardent critics.
So far, the President appears not to have factored the South-East in his initial appointments of media aides and service chiefs.
Indeed, a private radio on Wednesday accused him of expressing anti-Igbo sentiments in a recent BBC Hausa Service.
The presidency has dismissed the private radio’s claim as unfounded. A statement issued by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the claim was “completely false, malicious and slanderous” because the voice being ascribed to President Buhari in the recording repeatedly played back by the station was definitely not the President’s voice and the last interview the President had with the BBC Hausa Service, lasting not more than five minutes, was on the day he was declared winner and given his certificate of return as President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“President Buhari is the President of all Nigerians and will continue to treat all citizens on the basis of fairness, equality and equity,’’ he said and enjoined Nigerians to ignore all propaganda designed to sow seeds of discord among them and promote a separatist agenda against national unity, solidarity and progress.
Speaking on the issue, the source, which is part of the efforts to actualise Buhari’s change agenda, said: ”The president is out to Ndigbo that he does not hate them. Remember, he ran with late Dr Chuba Okadigbo and Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke for the presidency in 2003 and 2007. Now, he has agreed to be part of the burial of Owelle Chukwuma Azikiwe, the first son of Nigeria’s first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.
”Besides, he has directed a committee, which has former Senator Chris Ngige and some Igbo leaders as members to assess the Zik’s mausoleum and speed up the reconstruction of the historic site.”
Indeed, a delegation from the Azikiwe family met the president recently to brief him on their preparedness for the Chukwuma Azikiwe’s burial.
Chief Chekwas Okorie is the founder of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, and the United Progressives Party, UPP. He was the UPP presidential candidate in the March 28 election. In this interview, he speaks on the expectations of Nigerians from the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Excerpts:
President Muhammadu Buhari has just been inaugurated. What are the expectations of the people from him?
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
His inaugural speech pointed clear at the direction his administration will take and what Nigerians should expect from him. One thing that he set out immediately in his speech is what his democratic profile will look like when he said he belongs to everybody and belongs to nobody, that is a very loaded reassuring statement for a leader who was feared to have become a victim of some political investors that were already making claims. So, he served that early notice that all Nigerians can look up to him for fair but firm leadership.
Do you think that he belongs to nobody as he stated going by the roles some individuals and his party played in his emergence?
I want to take him on his words and doing so relying on his track record; he is a man that has his own mind, a man of unquestionable integrity, a man of uprightness, a man of boldness, courage and fearlessness. All these attributes have been fully demonstrated by him in the past. President Buhari is coming into office on a high moral pedestal and so, the statement he made clearly and unequivocally showed no strings attached on his ascendency. There are some people that will make that statement and I will take it with a pinch of salt.
As an aside, let me mention a fallout of somebody of Buhari’s character being at the helm of the leadership of this country. My brother-in-law, who travelled to the UK (United Kingdom) last week on a short trip and came back today (Monday) June 1, 2015, called me immediately he passed through Immigration and Customs formalities to express pleasant surprise that the airport he passed through a few days ago and went through very demanding and compromising officials now became a place he met very polite, efficient and well behaved officials. And so, he wanted to find out whether I knew of any order given to these officials to mend their ways. I told him I was not aware of any order but clearly the fear of the Buhari phenomenon has become the beginning of wisdom for all government functionaries and citizens alike. So, you can see what an established character of one man has started achieving even before directives and orders are issued. I have no doubt that all of these people will resort to business as usual if the Buhari administration takes good behaviour of Nigerians for granted.
So, in all these, what are the expectations ahead?
We are expecting a frontal attack on corruption which will include recovering all illegally acquired wealth and enunciating policies that will make corrupt conduct risky and unattractive. We expect a review of the entire power supply sector with a view to taking difficult decisions in the overall interest of the Nigerian people. We expect that the unsatisfactory and suspicious privatisation process that concessioned the industries to companies that are merely fronting for vested interests in the previous government be reversed.
We expect, like he stated, the resuscitation and revival of industries that have collapsed and the ones that are ailing due to neglect or lack of basic infrastructure and amenities that are necessary for their efficient operation. This will definitely improve productivity in the economy and provide jobs. Perhaps, the most radical thing that he said in his statement is that his government will not standby and see local government allocations hijacked by state governments. I say this because Nigeria’s 774 local government areas have remained largely non-functional in nearly 16 years. And so, the basic infrastructure such as culvert, rural electrification, roads that lead to farmlands and other services that local government were associated with in the years passed have stopped because of the greed and mismanagement including outright embezzlement of revenue allocation that ought to be flowing to the local government areas from the Federation Account.
This policy shift that will make the president to ensure that this allocation gets to the third tier of government will check the drift of rural dwellers to urban centres, and many people in the urban areas will begin to trace their ways back to their communities because they will now be gainfully engaged including being more productive. The other area Nigerians are very expectant concerns the issue of security. He has made it clear that security agencies, their officials and men have to get to the theatre of trouble to confront security challenges and not stay in their cosy offices at the FCT (Federal Capital Territory) dishing orders to hapless operatives and addressing the media in Abuja, making claims of exploits and achievements in the field of operation that took place in far away Borno, Yobe States, etc. By ordering that the commanding centres should relocate to the field of war, to many Nigerians is a pragmatic step towards addressing insurgency in the short run. He talked about long time measures after careful studies on how to prevent re-occurrence. He didn’t leave out the welfare and motivation of military personnel which is also fundamental to getting the best out of them.
There is the clamour for unity government that will involve all political parties and geopolitical zones. What is your take?
I support it but very cautiously. Yes, the winner takes all attitude is no longer fashionable in the democratic world today. Although the APC (All Progressives Congress) government does not require the coalition of other political parties to form government especially at the executive level, it will make for stability of the polity considering Nigerians ethnic and religious diversity. If political parties that the ruling party considers, in its wisdom, will add value to both quality of governance and stability of the country, such political parties may be invited. The prerogative to invite or not to invite is that of the APC and President Buhari. On our own part (UPP), we have already extended the hand of fellowship to APC as a party and to President Buhari before he was sworn-in; we made it clear that we will remain in the opposition and constructively engage them if our hand of fellowship is accepted. By this we mean that we will be making suggestions that we think will make the government to succeed and criticise constructively where the need arises. It therefore follows that if we are invited to become part of the government in any form the president may deem it fit, we will accept without compromising our identity and our character.
We are definite that we are not going to merge with the APC or collapse with the party because we believe that our growing democracy will be better served if three or more political parties with different tendencies are allowed to ventilate their views in order that Nigerians will have options at any given democratic context.
There is the insinuation that Ndigbo have lost out in the present dispensation because they did not vote for the APC. What is your comment?
I will like to correct the impression that they did not contribute to Buhari’s election and this is a general belief. But Ndigbo became a little more circumspect in the support they gave to President Muhammadu Buhari especially after when some of us whose opinions were sought had questioned his adoption by some Igbo groups without negotiation or anything to show for the unconditional and wholehearted support the Igbo gave to the PDP in 2011. We were very vehement in our propaganda and it was sustained, they may not even have voted for me, but definitely, more than 50 per cent of those who voted for Jonathan in 2011 did not have any reason to cast their votes again. The votes that Goodluck Jonathan did not get in the South-East paved the way for Buhari to win. The number of registered voters was approximately 7.2 million, eligible voters and about two times of that number are Igbo people who reside outside of the states in South-East. Considering that the margin of defeat which gave President Muhammadu Buhari victory was approximately 2.5 million votes, it then follows that any support for Jonathan similar to what he got in 2011 would have seen him returning to power. So, it will be a major political miscalculation to overlook or disregard the potentiality of the Igbo in Nigeria to determine who wins or who does not win the presidency of this country.
I believe that President Muhammadu Buhari has come of age politically and therefore will give Ndigbo what is due to them considering that, in less than four years, we will be facing another election. “Having said that, let me seize this opportunity to point out the fundamental flaw in the inaugural speech of President Buhari. You can notice I have applauded the speech, but it is not 100 percent. When he began to mention Nigeria’s past heroes, he did not mention Dr. Michael Okpara, the former Premier of the Eastern Region. If you look at the composition of Nigeria till 1966, Sir Ahmadu Bello presided over 14 provinces that made up the North and Dr. M. I. Okpara presided over 12 provinces that made up the former Eastern Region, while Chief Obafemi Awolowo presided over seven provinces of Western region and Sir Denis Osadebeh presided over two provinces that made up the Mid-Western Region. In terms of area of influence and the positions these heroes occupied, it amounted to unavoidable mistake that clearly sent very negative signals to have recognised even the likes of Akintola, Mallam Aminu Kano and J. S. Tarka whose political party did not control any region.
“So, I have received a lot of calls by concerned Igbo people concerning this unfortunate omission. Let me put it like that because I believe it was an omission because if the inaugural speech was brought to him before, he would have corrected it. Another area that left a gap is that no reference was made whatsoever to the prolonged and scandalous neglect of the South-East geopolitical zone by all governments since the end of civil war in 1970. There is no gain saying the fact that the three ‘R’ Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Re-integration promised by the Gen. Gowon government has been observed in the breach. We were full of expectations that a government that is for all would have made even if it is a passing statement to show that in the course of the administration, the special circumstances of the South-East geopolitical zone shall receive the consideration and special dispensation of the president. Such a statement would have been very reassuring, considering that the North-East geopolitical zone and the Niger Delta areas received special mention in the inaugural speech. I hope that President Buhari in the days ahead will do the needed message of hope to the people of South-East geopolitical zone.
A former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, says the Igbo did not vote for the Peoples Democratic Party in the last general election in the South-East, maintaining that the PDP massively rigged the election in the region.
Kalu, who was an ardent supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan before the elections, said this during a programme on Channels TV titled, “View from the Top,” on Monday.
The former governor said out of the five states in the South-East, the PDP only won elections in Ebonyi and Enugu states.
He said it would, therefore, be unfair to accuse the Igbo of voting en masse for the PDP.
Kalu said the people of Abia State voted against the PDP because of their feelings towards Governor Theodore Orji and the overbearing nature of the President’s wife, Patience Jonathan.
The former governor, who lost the Abia-North senatorial election on the platform of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, maintained that he did not lose but that the PDP rigged the election.
He said, “The issue is that what happened in my constituency was a rigged election. Apart from Enugu and Ebonyi states, where the PDP had very good outings, every other state they won in the South-East was rigged.
“So, the Igbo did not make any mistakes, I feel bad when I see people blaming the Igbo. In the presidential election, the result brought out from Abia where I was, did not reflect the voting pattern of the people.
“In Aba, I can tell you and I will tell Jonathan, that he did not win election in Aba. The APC won the election there but when I saw the result, it was a different thing because the people were angry because of the attitude of T. A Orji and the occasional interference of the wife of the President. People were angry.”
Kalu said it would be unfair to criticise a geopolitical zone for voting en masse for a party, adding that in 1999, the South-West voted massively for the then Alliance for Democracy even though Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP is from the zone.
The former governor said the PDP lost the general election because of its greed and superiority complex.
He said he and a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had planned to form a merger around 2007 but his political associates in the South-East thwarted the plans.
He said he was not surprised that Tinubu went on to form Nigeria’s biggest opposition party which finally defeated the PDP.
He said, “The PDP was bound to lose the elections because many people were very greedy. There was impunity; people in the party felt they were mini gods. And when you feel that God Almighty is no longer God and that you are the new God, you are bound to fail and that was what happened.
“The PDP felt that they could afford anything money could buy. My brothers, the Igbo didn’t understand the local politics. What you see in the country today was planned by Bola Tinubu and me.
“He is alive, you can ask him. He planned to go with the Action Congress and I planned to go with the PPA. We said at the same time, we could come back to the stage but the two governors we had from the South-East were not as forthright as Governor Babatunde Fashola. Fashola was the only AC governor at the time.”
Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Thursday said the Igbo would not beg the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, for appointments.
It said issues of appointments were constitutional obligations that every President of Nigeria, irrespective of the voting pattern of a people in an election, must comply with.
It condemned the move by certain people, who claimed to be representing the Igbo, who allegedly went to Buhari to beg for appointments for Ndigbo in his government.
The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Anambra State, Dr. Chris Eluomunoh, who spoke as the chairman of state presidents’ forum of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, comprising seven Igbo speaking states, stated this at a press conference in Awka, Anambra State.
He said the Igbo nation was an integral part of Nigeria and must get their due share in the country as a matter of right.
Eluemunoh maintained that the Igbo had no regrets voting for President Goodluck Jonathan in the just concluded general elections, stressing that the circumstance of the time made the voting pattern necessary.
“We didn’t vote for Jonathan because we didn’t like Buhari. The circumstance of the moment made our voting proper, and we don’t regret it.
“Nobody can intimidate the Igbo because of the way we voted in that election; neither shall we beg anybody for appointments because we didn’t vote for him.
“Every zoning arrangement for appointments in this country must include the Igbo. So those who called themselves Ohanaeze elders, who went to beg for appointments for Ndigbo, were on their own. They are not speaking for us.
“Ohanaeze is not partisan. At the appropriate time, we shall meet with the President-elect to chart a course for the country.”
The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has urged Igbo across the state to push the All Progressives Congress ‘into the lagoon’ by voting for him on Saturday.
Agbaje said this while addressing Igbo traders at the Alaba International Market on Thursday.
The PDP candidate urged them to ignore the threats made by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, that if they do not vote for the APC governorship candidate on Saturday, they would die in the lagoon.
“Nobody can push you into the Atlantic Ocean. Rather, you should use your votes to push the APC into the Atlantic Ocean by voting massively for the PDP on Saturday,” Agbaje said.
He urged the people to ignore the scare tactics being marshalled by the APC, saying, it was the antics of a drowning party.
Agbaje said, “Election is like a snake. You have to make sure you win by killing the snake completely by using your votes to drive the APC out of power. The reason why they are harassing you is because they fear Igbo votes. They will try to do ‘shakara’ for you but you must vote massively for the PDP and protect your votes.”
Agbaje, who was accompanied by his running mate, Alhaja Safuratu Abdulkarim; and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, said the APC had become arrogant because the party had been in power for too long.
He said, “In the last 16 years, the APC has been full of arrogance. This arrogance must end once and for all. Saturday is the time to say enough is enough.”
Counselling the audience to eschew violence and refuse to be intimidated at the polling venue, Agbaje urged them to guard their votes.
He said, “God is on our side and power will change hands on Saturday and life will be better for you and your businesses. There will be no oppression again because this election is about freedom from bondage.”
Some Igbo leaders, yesterday, blasted former Chief of Army Staff, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd) over his comments that if former Biafran Leader, late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, had conceded defeat quickly during the 1967-1970 civil war like President Goodluck Jonathan did after the 2015 presidential polls, Nigeria would have been saved one year of bloodshed.
Danjuma spoke on Wednesday shortly after a closed-door meeting with President Jonathan, who visited him at his Abuja residence. He said the President averted civil war in the country by timely conceding defeat and congratulating Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a move he said Ojukwu failed to make and thereby causing the country avoidable blood shed.
Coming at a time the Igbo are still seething over Oba of Lagos, HRM Rilwanu Akiolu’s threat that Igbo living in Lagos would drown within seven days in the Lagos Lagoon, if they did not vote his governorship candidate in tomorrow’s election, Danjuma’s comments elicited caustic criticisms.
Reacting to Danjuma’s comments yesterday, some Igbo leaders accused him of ridiculing the president, insulting Ojukwu and continuing the genocide against the Igbo by other means.
Among those who berated Danjuma are former Secretary-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo and officer in the Biafran Army, Col Joe Achuzia; Second Republic Politician, Chief Guy Ikokwu; botched Third Republic Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chief Abia Onyike.
He is no longer strong mentally –Ezeife
Piqued at the comments, Ezeife said: ‘’I know Danjuma is not very well. So I am not surprised.’’
Igbo will respond – Ikokwu
Alleging that Danjuma killed Nigeria’s first military Head of State, General Ajuiyi Ironsi (an Igbo), Ikokwu said General Danjuma will get a full response after the elections because by talking about Ojukwu, he is talking about the South-East and South-South geo-political zones, which constituted most of the former Eastern Region and later the defunct Biafra.
His words: ‘’I don’t think we should take issues with Danjuma until after the elections. Jonathan went to him and not him to Jonathan. We shall respond to him.’’
Danjuma’s comments confirm the genocide against Igbo – Achuzia
In his reaction, Col Joe Achuzia said: ‘’I am happy that my friend Danjuma owned up that there was bloodshed and pogrom against the people of Biafra. I don’t understand what he meant by Ojukwu conceding defeat. If the Federal Government had implemented the Aburi Accord, the bloodshed would have been avoided.
‘’Ojukwu believed in Aburi as the road map for peace at the time of the crisis but the Federal Government reneged on the agreement reached in Ghana. One does not concede defeat half way into a battle. Doing that would have amounted to cowardice. I don’t know where Danjuma got the idea of Ojukwu not accepting defeat from. He has little knowledge of the intricacies of the war. He didn’t even know the terrain of the Enugu that he talked about. If the necessities of capitulating were there, why did the war last for three years? I fought the war for three years and I know that the necessities were not there. Sometimes people talk for talking sake.
‘’The President’s visit to him was a private one and he should not have used that opportunity to insult all that Ojukwu stood for. To say publicly that the President was defeated was even a mockery of the President. It does not portray the President in good light. Of course what he said was an insult on Ojukwu. His reference to the fall of Enugu is laughable because the war was just starting then. Which military officer will surrender in that kind of situation even before firing a bullet? When some people make wrong comments on the civil war, I wonder what often inform their judgement. Ojukwu was a General and was right on all the decisions he took in the interest of the Igbo.’’
His comments ‘re diversionary – Onyike
In a chat with newsmen in Abakaliki, Onyike, one-time commissioner for Information and Orientation in Ebonyi State, said it was most unpatriotic of Danjuma to make such comments at this point in the country’s political history.
He alleged that Nigeria’s problem now is not from the Ndigbo but from Danjuma’s North-Eastern zone occasioned by the Boko Haram and Hausa/Fulani herdsmen insurgency, insisting that the General’s comments were mere diversionary tactics deployed to denigrate the integrity of Ojukwu.
Onyike said: “In the first place, it was Danjuma that backed the spilling of the blood of the Igbo, with the killing of Aguiyi Ironsi in Ibadan in 1967 and we want to say that Danjuma belongs to the group of Army Officers who led the gruesome genocide and massacre of over three million Igbo during the Nigerian civil war.
“We want to say that the problem with General T. Y. Danjuma is mainly psychological because at a time when some of them felt that they had become great statesmen and patriots for presiding over the attempted extermination of the Igbo, unfortunately for them, the Igbo people survived and have come to assert themselves and their identity in the Nigerian federation.
“Secondly, a twist emerged in the Nigerian scene where people like Danjuma and the minority group where he comes from in the Northern have been subjected to the same gruesome murders by militant elements of the same northern oligarchy which they serve, and to that extent Danjuma cannot go to his village.
“So, let him go and resolve that problem first because when Ojukwu was making them understand the nature of the Nigerian federation and the dangers inherent in the politics that was emerging, Danjuma preferred to be a surrogate. So let him stop using the Igbo to hide his inadequacies.”
The National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh, has appealed to the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), not to ostracize people of the South East for not voting massively for him during the March 28 presidential election.
Victor Umeh
Umeh, who made the appeal at a press conference in Umuahia, the Abia State capital on Tuesday, said the massive support Ndigbo gave to the candidate if the Peoples Democratic Party and incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan, though he lost at the poll, was based on the conviction of the people that he [Jonathan] represented hope for their political future.
He said “Buhari should not see Ndigbo as his enemies. We are not against Buhari but were only pursuing our political interest.
“We were looking for somebody who would help Ndigbo recover from the ruins of the civil war. Jonathan convened a national conference and we felt that the report of the conference would address most of the injustices against Ndigbo – that was why we followed him.
“But now that the election is won and lost we should not be seen as enemies. We hope God will still use Buhari to address our many challenges. He should adopt the report of the conference.
“Buhari will not succeed if he fails to address the injustices in Nigeria or treats Ndigbo as his enemies. We will embrace him and support him if he shows concern for our plights.
“What we followed in the last election was the line of hope we saw in Jonathan. We are looking for a way Ndigbo can come back to Nigeria’s political tripod and survive.
“If Buhari had promised to implement the report of the conference, maybe we would have voted for him en mass. But now he should look for a way to accommodate us and give us a sense of belonging in his government”.
Umeh, however, said all hope was not lost for Ndigbo politically as APGA would provide the ethnic group with the opportunity to be re-integrated into national politics.
He, therefore, enjoined the people of South East to help in reviving APGA by voting massively for all its candidates at the April 11 Governorship and House of Assembly elections to serve as a political platform to advance the cause of the Igbo nation.
The Department of State Services has said that it is taking appropriate action over the alleged threat of Ndigbo in Lagos by Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akinolu.
Answering questions at the National Information Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, spokesperson for the secret service, Marylyn Ogar, said the service was handling the matter though she refused to give the details of the action being taken.
Ogar said, “We are taking appropriate action. Yesterday, the service had once again warned all Nigerians not to stoke the embers of discord within the country.
“If the presidential election had come and gone successfully, we wouldn’t want people to begin to whip up sentiments unnecessarily. So we are handling it.”
Meanwhile, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has directed a committee comprising notable traditional rulers in the state to meet with Oba Akinolu over the monarch’s recent death threat to Ndigbo resident in Lagos State.
Following widespread reactions to the monarch’s warning to Ndigbo in Lagos to either vote the APC governorship candidate in the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, or risk imminent death in the lagoon, Okorocha charged the committee, which will be led by the chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri, with the task of resolving the matter immediately.
The committee is expected to have a one-on-one discussion with Akinolu over the threat and to extract a commitment from him.
The governor, who is also the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, noted that it was not enough to accept Akinolu’s denial of threatening Ndigbo without traditional rulers from the South-East meeting with him to discuss the controversy and the way forward in the long existing relationship between the Igbo in Lagos and their host community.
Also, the Imo State Peoples Democratic Party officially reacted to Akinolu’s utterance on Wednesday.
The party described the monarch’s threat to Ndigbo as an empty, malicious and unwarranted threat.
In a statement released by the party, a copy of which was made available to one of our correspondents, the Imo PDP condemned the death threat, saying it was unacceptable.
The party wondered why a monarch would be speaking for a political party.
It urged Ndigbo resident in Lagos and other parts of the country to come out en masse and vote according to their conscience on Saturday.
UMUAHIA- THE Director, Media and Publicity of PDP Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has called on Ndigbo to vote President Goodluck Jonathan for the March 28 election, saying he has the Ndigbo at heart.
Fani-Kayode spoke in Umuahia Sunday when he and his team cisted the state as part of their tour of the states in the zones of the country.
According to him, no other leader in Nigeria has done to Ndigbo what President has so far done to them.
“His unflagging love for the South-East zone has crystallized in a high number of Igbo sons and daughters serving in the present Federal Cabinet. President Jonathan’s government, as you know, was the first to appoint an Igbo military officer as the Chief of Army staff. Records have shown that it is only the government of President Jonathan that re-constructed the Enugu International Airport while also remodeling the Imo Airport.
“Indeed, the conversion of the Enugu Airport to an International Airport is considered critical to the economic survival of the people of the Southeast. We are happy to list the ability of people from south-east to tap from the You-Win initiative of the Jonathan’s government for economic benefits.
“The government holds the credit for constructing the Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriage way as well as the rehabilitation of the Enugu-Port Harcourt rail-line. We will not forget to mention the construction of the second Niger Bridge which was started by President Jonathan.
The south-east states have also benefited from the progress recorded by the education sector under the government of President Jonathan with federal universities built in Ebonyi, Abia, Imo and Enugu states”, Fani-Kayode said.
He also attacked the Imo State Governor over his claim that Buhari would win the presidential election, hence the need for Ndigbo to vote for him.
“Let me seize this opportunity to dispel the shameful deceit and propaganda of the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. He has said that the Igbo people should not waste their votes by investing them in our Presidential candidate on the basis that the rest of Nigeria will vote for Buhari. This is a lie from the pit of hell.
“Okorocha knows very well that all parts of Nigeria are rooting for President Jonathan, including the north where General Buhari hails from. We trust that you will never be cowed by the APC’s cheap propaganda and false claims”he said.
