The endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by Igbo apex body, Ohanaeze-Ndigbo suffered a major setback yesterday as the Igbo Delegates Assembly distanced itself from the endorsement.
In a statement signed by its President General, Chief S. Iyamah, after its meeting in Abuja, IDA called on all Igbos in the North to remain where they stayed and collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, just as it called on the Federal government to protect their lives and investments.
The statement reads: “Ndi-Igbo in the North, under the umbrella of Igbo Delegate Assembly, have not adopted anybody as our presidential candidate as we are yet to recover from the devastation of the 2011 post-election violence; we are still consulting with major stakeholders.
“We appeal to our members to remain peaceful and vigilant wherever they are in the North in particular and Nigeria, get their PVCs and participate in all the election, nobody should run away from his station as we remain bona fide citizens of Nigeria. We appeal to the President and all security agencies to guarantee our safety and that of our investments.
“For the Igbo Delegates which is made up of Ndigbo in all the 19 states of the North and FCT and all the affiliate Igbo leaderships in the north, for record purposes and avoidance of doubts, Ndigbo in the North are the second largest ethnic group in every nook and cranny of the country. We are domiciled in every village in northern Nigeria and interact peacefully with our host communities.
“Unfortunately, politics has brought another dimension to our peaceful co-existence. Politics, religion and tribalism have once again put the Igbo man in the North on a slaughter slab. Tension is high and that dependable instinct of self-preservation has come to the fore with its attendant backlash.
“We shall all be disenfranchised if we leave the North, we shall suffer social and economic disruption, our children will drop out of school and our meals no longer regular. These discomforts are better than death.”
Commentaires