Elections: Atiku splits Ohanaeze

Thursday’s endorsement of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, is now tearing the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization apart.

Some prominent Igbo leaders say the endorsement is nothing short of charade and the decision taken behind the back of a large number of members.

The Anambra government is similarly irked by the Ohanaeze decision and has disassociated itself from the endorsement.

Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Science and Technology Minister  Ogbonnaya Onu, Labour Minister Chris Ngige, former Senate President  Ken Nnamani, former Enugu State governor Sullivan Chime, Voice of Nigeria Director General Osita Okechukwu,  and  General  J.O.J Okoloagu, said in Enugu on Thursday night that  the Atiku endorsement  smacked of mischief, coming on a day President Muhammadu Buhari was on a visit to the Southeast, commissioning  some projects.

They spoke at a press conference, moment after Ohanaeze announced its decision.

Ngige said that he was aware of an Ohanaeze meeting scheduled for that day and that the  President-General of the group, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, had agreed to move the meeting to 7 p.m, only to proceed to hold it at 5 p.m.

“Myself and the Chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum had approached the Ohanaeze President and pleaded with him to change the date. He said he cannot do that; he later gave me 4 p.m, but I told him it was not going to work,” the minister said.

“By 5 p.m, they met and issued an already prepared communique.

“All of them that met are Ohanaeze PDP. So, it is now Ohanaeze PDP vs Ohanaeze APC. They have factionalized Ohanaeze.

“I want to say clearly that endorsement has never favoured us. They endorsed Falae, he failed; they endorsed 3rd term it failed; they endorsed Jonathan he lost. We are not going to continue on this trajectory.

“We are going to dig up our arsenal and all we need is  to fight this.”

Onyeama said the Atiku endorsement would have consequences for the Igbo.

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His words: “Mr. President was visiting two Igbo states, where he commissioned projects, including the mausoleum of the great Zik of Africa.

“So, it was inappropriate to have a meeting of Ohanaeze to discuss such a weighty issue on who to endorse. It was not the time to hold such meeting.

“I see this as a decision that will have consequences for years to come. This is not decent for the Igbos.”

Onu said he was rushing to attend the meeting when he was informed that it was over even before the 7 p.m it was scheduled to start.

“There was no reason for the President-General of Ohanaeze to be informed of President Buhari’s visit and he still went ahead to hold that meeting. We must be inclusive in anything we do,” he noted.

Chief Nnamani said the Ohanaeze never took into consideration that Igbo sons and daughters belong to different political parties.

“One of the things that Ohanaeze came up with is that our son, Peter Obi was picked as number two in PDP. It does not make reasonable sense because there are people of Igbo extraction angling to be number one, but those guys endorsed number two,” he said.

“On the restructuring they talked about, the APC as a party, to which I belong, set up a committee and it endorsed restructuring. But let me say clearly that anybody that is telling you he will restructure, be it President, Senate President or the Chief Justice of Nigeria, no one person can restructure. It is just a fallacy. It needs the NASS, constitutional amendment involving the State Houses of Assembly too.

“So, those of us in APC find it totally repugnant. It is not in the interest of Igbo. Ohanaeze should not dabble into politics at all. If they want to register Ohanaeze as a political party, let them do so, after which those that are not interested will leave.”

Also speaking, Chime said: “We cannot attribute what happened to Ohanaeze.

“Nwodo’s two-year tenure has expired; he has left office. He is on his own. We cannot attribute what happened to Imeobi.  He just called his friends.”

The VON-DG, Okechukwu, who moderated the session, re-echoed the views that the endorsement does not stand, as it lacked any form of legality.

In their separate remarks, Okolagu and Ozobu also said it was null and void as Imeobi was not properly constituted, adding that the final power to carry out such function lied with the Ohanaeze General Assembly.