2023: Ohanaeze secretary backs Amaechi, says Igbo can’t be president

The anger expressed by Ohanaeze Ndigbo over a comment by Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi that the South East people will not produce Nigeria’s President in 2023 appears to have been aggravated with a fresh comment by the group’s suspended secretary, Uche Okwukwu.

This came as Okwukwu, in a statement on Monday declared that Amaechi was correct with his assertion. He argued that the South East region of Nigeria for not voting for President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), “have to a large extent, by omission or commission, shut ourselves out of the presidency in 2023.”

Ohanaeze Ndigbo and several people from South East had kicked and attacked Amaechi for recently saying that Ndigbo made it impossible for them to win the Presidency in the next four years by the role they played in 2019 general elections.

But in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Monday, the suspended secretary of Ohanaeze said Amaechi was right.

“Amaechi’s statement is correct because they betrayed him; they betrayed Ndigbo. You must have followed the event leading to the confusion, where a socio-cultural organisation adopted President Muhammadu Buhari without affording Amaechi the opportunity of participating in the meeting of Ndigbo.

“Amaechi is an Igbo man. He has openly said he is Igbo. So, why would you deny him the opportunity of participating in the meeting that purportedly endorsed Buhari and then you denied him the opportunity of presenting his own bulk to the Igbo.

“Of course, whether we agree or not, politics is reality. By not voting for Buhari and denying him any presence in Igboland, we have to a large extent, by omission or commission, shut ourselves out of the presidency in 2023.

READ ALSO: Okorocha’s reckless spending forced us to freeze N5bn belonging to Imo State- EFCC

“Even if you go to the convention of the APC, Igbo cannot win the primary in the APC. This is because they don’t have any senator, no governor, nobody in the APC. So, how will they win the primary? It is a sad thing, but it is the reality on the ground.

“Amaechi’s predictable assertion to the effect that Ndigbo had by an act of omission or commission shut themselves out of the presidency come 2023 is nothing but the truth,” Okwukwu said in the statement.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo had openly declared their total support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in 2019 general elections.

The declaration may have explained why Buhari lost elections in all the five states of the region. The APC, which prior to the election controlled one state in the zone, also lost the state, Imo to the PDP and now controls no state in the South East.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now