Nigeria Elections: Ndigbo Will Never Be Intimidated, Says South-East Leaders

Igbo leaders, weekend, declared that people of Southeast living across the country would continue to ply their trade and exercise their rights without fear.

This is a major fallout during a visit to the Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General, John Nnia Nwodo in Enugu, at the weekend.

Former Minister of Health, Professor ABC Nwosu, who briefed newsmen after the visit, said it was to congratulate Nwodo “for his enlightened, focused and selfless leadership of Ndigbo in the trying period before and during the last elections.”

The delegation, led by High Chief Senator Ben Obi, included former governors Achike Udenwa and Okwesilieze Nwodo, Senator Azu Agboti, first Chairman Niger Delta Developmetn Commision, NDDC, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu and former Ministers, Chief Dubem Onyia and Processor ABC Nwosu.

The delegation thanked the Ohanaeze President General for standing firm on the priority Igbo position for the restructuring of Nigeria based on greater devolution of power and resources from the centre to the federating units and praised the President General for ignoring saboteurs of Igbo cause because he has been vindicated by the massive Igbo votes along the direction that Ohanaeze had endorsed.

Nwosu added that “The delegation pledged their personal unflinching support and loyalty for the President General and Ohanaeze Ndigbo to ensure that this task of restructuring Nigeria for the benefit of all citizens is accomplished.

“The delegation was proud that the principled stand of Ndigbo on restructuring was galvanized by Ohanaeze Ndigbo under the very capable leadership of the President General and this resulted in the massive turnout of Ndigbo at the last general elections not only in the South East but throughout Nigeria, and vowed to assist the President General to ensure that Nigeria shall continue to feel the weight of Igbo votes until restructuring is accomplished, and those who continued to ignore Igbo votes in Nigeria do so at their risk.

“The delegation pleaded with the Prescient General to ignore the activities by a few Ndigbo to sabotage the collective Igbo view since the Igbo votes strongly endorsed his position, but frowned seriously on the sell-out of Ohanaeze Ndigbo by the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and urged that he should be strongly sanctioned.

“The Igbo leaders reiterated that the task of restructuring Nigeria into a nation that works for all its citizens and not just for only a section of its citizens, remains the top priority agenda of Ndigbo in Nigeria, and as the Igbo adage says, “the jaws do not rest until what is being chewed is finished,” the President General must ensure that this burning desire of Ndigbo for the restructuring of Nigeria continues to remain in the front burner of Nigerian politics.

“The task for Ndigbo now, according to the leaders, is to design the post general election agenda to maintain Igbo solidarity such that the Igbo post election agenda is not distracted by those lobbying for positions in government and those positioning to be President in 2023.”

He added that “the Igbo wisdom of struggling for where to sleep before fighting for the mat to sleep on should guide our post election strategy.

“The delegation was exceedingly proud of Ndigbo for how they voted at the last elections where ministers and prominent Igbo APC members found that the community is always bigger than the individual and it must be humbling for them to have lost at their polling booths.

“The icing on the cake for Ndigbo was the election of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State which clearly showed that Ndigbo are resolved to start redressing the wrongs of the last few years from inside Igboland.

“It was clear that Ndigb are not afraid and will not be afraid in Nigeria whether in Owerri, Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Aba, Enugu, Warri or Asaba to express their full citizenship rights and their dissatisfaction with the way they are being treated politically in Nigeria. The post election thinking of every Onye Igbo must be Igbo renaissance in a Nigeria that works.

“It is important that government must focus on restructuring and the task of nation building where all citizens of Nigeria are equal before the law and have equal opportunities to employment and other economic activities. Those who think that their can be senior and junior Nigerians must be told firmly that they are hallucinating.”