The leadership of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, on Friday raised alarm over what it called impostors who were at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, parading themselves as Igbo youths.
It said the alarm became necessary following reports that some strange fellows had gone to the Presidential Villa to endorse President Muhammadu Buhari, under the guise of Ohanaeze youths.
In a statement made available to DAILY POST, which was part of the communique issued after the group’s meeting with a coalition of some Southeast-based groups, they maintained that Igbo youths were yet to take any stand on the 2019 presidency.
The statement was signed by Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Alex Okemiri, President, World Igbo Youth Congress, Dr Helen Ogbonnaya, Leader, Southeast Women Professionals, Chidera Utucha, Igbo Students Movement and Uchechi Uduko, for Forum of Biafra agitators.
It read in part: “The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council met with a coalition of Igbo groups and Biafra agitators regards to 2019 Presidential election and other issues. The meeting, chaired by President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, resolved as follows:
“We received news of impostors who visited President Buhari today. They are not members of Ohanaeze Youths but were handpicked by a senator desperately wishing to sell Igbo land in 2019 because of oil bloc as Imeobi Ohanaeze is not aware of the visit.
“We will sanction those who paraded themselves as Ohanaeze youths because at no time did Ohanaeze youths approve such meeting.
“They must have imported some persons from neighbouring Middle Belt and South South States.”
On the recent appointment of Amina Zakari as the head of 2019 INEC Presidential advisory council and Collation unit, the groups said “it will not influence the voting pattern of aggressive voters, especially Igbo votes across the 36 states of the country, as every counting will be live on the electronic media.”
The group said they were aware “of some clandestine meetings by some Igbo leaders, who have never voted since 1999 elections but were now planning to sell Igbo land through vote buying for a particular Presidential candidate, against the popular demand of Ndigbo that the Presidential Candidates should sign an agreement with Igbo religious leaders and traditional rulers over their sincerity on 2023 Igbo Presidency Project.
“On this note, the coalition of Igbo groups, with Biafra agitators, will only support the re election of Gov Okezie Ikpeazu, Gov Dave Umahi and Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. We will only decide on the Presidential Candidate between 8-10th January, 2019, during our Igbo township meeting in Abakiliki.
“We will continue to advocate for non-violence in the 2019 election, and we will continue to protect political interest of Ndigbo against political saboteurs, whose interest is enriching themselves without giving leadership to Ndigbo; we are watching them keenly.”
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