Presidential Aspirant Insults Ohaneze Ndigbo For Supporting Jonathan

Ohanaeze Ndigbo

A presidential aspirant from the East in the forthcoming March 28 election has insulted the apex Igbo social cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, for supporting the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Nigerian Watch reports that the presidential candidate on the platform of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, on Tuesday described Ohaneze Ndigbo as acting scandalously by backing President Jonathan in the forthcoming elections without getting anything in return.

“When it comes to politics, this kind of thing has always happens. Even though what Ohaneze has done this time is a little scandalous, as it has not been different from what has always happened in Nigerian politics especially the Igbo politics aspect of it. During the Second Republic people will remember very well that almost every Igbo political leader was in the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and they were all fighting for number two position. It was so bad that what the NPN did was to decide to give it to any Igbo man provided that he brings N2m at that time and it was for the highest bidder and that was how Alex Ekwueme being an extremely successful contractor and consultant paid,” Okorie said.

The UPP presidential aspirant revealed further that at the time, Dr Ekwueme did not become the running mate because Igbo people sponsored him but because he outpaid the others, saying it was that very fact that prompted Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe to come out because he had already stated that he was not going to run.

According to him, when Dr Azikiwe saw his people clamouring for the number two position, he could not reconcile it with the fact that he led the struggle for independence, insisting that this was the reason why Dr Azikiwe entered the race late and chose to join the smallest of the parties at the time, the Nigeria Peoples Party, which was founded by Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim.

Okorie, explaining why he did not go to a big party where all his associates were waiting for him, said his people were better off being a majority in a minority party where their voice would be heard, rather than being the minority in a majority party where they would be assimilated without trace.

He said he was not disappointed by what Ohaneze Ndigbo is doing, but only feels sorry for his Igbo people because what has happened is that Ohaneze is simply selling its endorsement as if it is selling pure water.

According to Okorie, an endorsement should be a logical outcome of a negotiated understanding contained in a written memorandum of understanding.

“There are so many problems confronting the Igbo people that any patriotic, caring Pan-Igbo organisation will present on the table and have it negotiated and as a result of that, endorsement will come. Look at Afenifere, they are now telling you the reason they are supporting the government which is a justifiable endorsement but what did Ohaneze say? Is it not scandalous that the umbrella organization that is supposed to speak for the interest of Igbo people has made itself so cheap? This is not the first time Ohaneze is doing this, as it did it in 2011 but at that time, there was no opposition and people could get away with it but now, the situation is different,” Okorie said.

Meanwhile, as the country’s election draws nearer, the two major presidential contenders, President Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have both increased the tempo of their campaign, but the apex Igbo group Ohaneze Ndigbo has decided to back President Jonathan and adopt him as its candidate.

Recall that leaders of Ndigbo resident in Lagos state have confirmed that they were given money by President Goodluck Jonathan, an allegation that involves the former president of Ohaneze, Lagos state, and coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Support Group, Dr Oliver Akabueze.

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