A factional wing of the apex-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, on Monday endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for next week’s presidential election.
This is even as the group led by Raph Obioha has dismissed the endorsement as an exercise in futility.
The embattled Chief Enwo Igariwey had at a meeting held at its National Secretariat in Enugu, said the interest of the Igbos would be more protected under the Presidency of Jonathan, insisting the achievements of the president in the past four years had placed him in better stead to continue in office.
The meeting was attended by former governors of Ebonyi state, Sam Egwu and Anambra state, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Dr Joe Nworgu, Senator Hope Uzodinma, traditional rulers from all the states of the zone led by the chairman, Eze Cletus Illomuanya, among others.
Moving a motion for the endorsement, the organisation’s President-general, Chief Igariwey said the move was the outcome of several months of consultations with the Council of Traditional Rulers, the leadership of major Igbo organisations both home and in the Diaspora.
He said it was bases on the pragmatic reasons of continuity and a sense of solidarity as well as the need to maintain an unbroken chain of allowing each of the six zones to hold the presidency for two terms that Igbos have decided to file behind President Jonathan.
“As a people, we believe in the principles of fairness, equity and justice which are essential ingredients of peace and stability without which our country cannot advance or survive as a united entity.
“President Jonathan hails from a minority group in South-south. Its is a known fact that this is the first time a citizen from minority group has risen to the presidency through a democratic process.
“It is also note worthy that his zone has sustained the economic development of this country through its natural endowment and has also paid a price through serious environmental degradation. This led to militant insurgency and serious disruption of the nation’s major revenue source.
“The emergence of Jonathan has dramatically calmed tension and offered a sense of belonging to our fellow citizens from the South-south. This is a lesson to Ndigbo. The fact that we’ve remained largely marginalised in the affairs of this nation over the last four decades doesn’t mean that we are condemned to a destiny of perpetual exclusion. The solidarity we show today is the solidarity we shall legitimately expect tomorrow,” Igariwey said.
He said though Ndigbo may not have realised all their expectations in the present administration, there had been considerable improvement in their infrastructural development and general sense of belonging in the present administration.
However, in a quick reaction, the Obioha led Ohaneze Ndigbo said in a statement made available to DAILY POST that, “after going through the release issued by individuals who claimed to be officials of Ohanaeze, it is a common knowledge that their tenure expired January 12, 2015 and this massive pretence that they are still speaking for the organization calls into serious question the seriousness of such a weighty issue of calling on the collective endorsement of Igbos is a complete buggy.
“Nobody disputes their right that they could gather to issues an endorsement but to tend to drag the name of Ohanaeze is a fakery; based on what had just been disclosed it will be misleading to the general public that Ohanaeze Ndigbo in which they are no longer officers is the body issuing this bogus endorsement. The care taker committee is still in the process of serious consultation bearing in mind the heavy cloud gathering over Nigeria and shall in the nearest future issues a statement that will direct our people on how to discharge their democratic rights.
“We are happy that International criminal court have issued warning to Nigerians politicians that they will be held accountable for any violence visited to innocent civilians on the process of exercising their civic rights”.
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