Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the largest Igbo sociocultural organisation, has praised Afenifere and the Middle-Belt Forum for supporting Peter Obi of the Labour Party as a national movement.
On Tuesday, Ohanaeze issued a statement through its Secretary General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, in which it praised the regional organisations Afenifere and the Middle-Belt Forum for their support of Peter Obi.
He also disclosed a planned scheme by an anonymous South-East Governor to get a phoney endorsement for a notorious presidential candidate.
The Igbo Governor was warned by Ohanaeze not to use financial bribes and phoney appointments "to attract a portion of Ohanaeze chieftains to endorse an unpopular and disliked Presidential candidate ahead of the popular choice of Nigerians, the Presidential candidate of the Labor Party, Mr. Peter Obi."
It warned that “the desperation of this South-East Governor will sink him politically.
“His stock in trade is to always go contrary and adverse to the popular position of Ndigbo because he’s a poor student of history. His plan to use the brand name of Ohanaeze to play dirty politics for an unpopular candidate has been discovered and he should repent or be retired from active politics. No amount of persuasion and inducement will reverse the position of Ndigbo in 2023.
“On this note, Ohanaeze warns the said South-East Governor and a few chieftains of Ohanaeze Ndigbo not to use our name for monetary endorsement of any Presidential candidate.
“Ndigbo and Nigerians should know that any future endorsement by any section of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is imaginary and counterfeit, coined by the adversaries of the people.
“Surely, this time around, all the intending Igbo political saboteurs will be disgraced at the polls. Igbo’s position for 2023 is in line with Afenifere and Middle-Belt Forum that Mr Peter Obi is Nigeria’s trend and movement for taking back Nigeria by Nigerians in 2023.”
Ohanaeze stressed that “the Labour Party Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is not an Igbo Presidency movement, but rather a Nigerian Project anchored on capacity, competence, and character.
“This clarification has become necessary for posterity’s sake. Ohanaeze joins other ethnic groups like Afenifere, Middle-Belt Forum and PANDEF to insist that the rotational presidency between North and South is a must for equity and that a Southern President should succeed President Buhari in 2023.
“We applaud the respected leaderships of Afenifere and Middle-Belt Forum for the adoption of Mr Peter Obi as the best among other Presidential candidates based on age, fairness, competence, and track records of accomplishment in governance which have been assessed and verified by Nigerians.
“This is the height of nationalism and patriotism by the leadership of the Southern and middle belt forum.
“We urge the Ondo Governor Akeredolu and his South-East counterpart to remember that Afenifere elders mean well for Nigeria and Obi’s Presidency will favour the Yoruba people and Northern Nigeria.
“Nigeria has departed from the era of the Yoruba Presidency, Fulani Presidency, Igbo presidency, or the Ijaw presidency, sectionalism or ethnicity has been defeated as it remains the cause of corrupt governments.
“In 2023, Nigerians are committed to providing a credible leadership devoid of religious and ethnic sentiments, but a president who will end medical tourism by the political elites and rebuild strong institutions that will reposition the country as the Giant of Africa”, he said.