Igbo leaders call on Ohanaeze to maintain stand on Nigeria’s restructuring

Igbo leaders have called on its apex socio- cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to insist on its demand for the restructuring of Nigerian in order to guarantee equity and justice.

The call was made when a delegation of the leaders met with Ohanaeze Ndigbo president general, Chief Nnia Nwodo, in Enugu.

Ohanaeze had adopted the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, as its 2019 presidential candidate for his promise to restructure Nigeria.

Though President Muhammadu Buhari eventually won the election, Atiku won in all Igbo States.

The leaders said they visited Nwodo to congratulate him for his supposedly “enlightened, focused and selfless leadership of Ndigbo in the trying period before and during the last elections.”

The delegation which was led by Senator Ben Obi, had former Imo governors, Achike Udenwa; Okwesilieze Nwodo, Senator Azu Agboti, pioneer chairman, Niger Delta Development Commision, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu and former ministers, Chief Dubem Onyia and Professor Alphonsus Nwosu, all in attendance.

Nwosu who spoke to newsmen after the meeting that lasted from Saturday night till Sunday said, “For standing firm on the principle of 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 .”

Noting that Ohanaeze has the delegation’s full support and loyalty Nwosu said, “The delegation was proud that the principled stand of Ndigbo on restructuring was galvanised 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 continue to ignore Igbo votes in Nigeria do so at their risk.”

The leaders prayed Nwodo to ‘ignore the activities of 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.

They said the task of restructuring Nigeria into a nation that works for all and not just for only a section of its citizens, remained 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 delegate called on the President General to ensure that this burning desire of Ndigbo for the restructuring of Nigeria continues to remain in the front burner of Nigerian politics.

They added that the task before Ndigbo at the moment is to design 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.

READ ALSO: Imo groups amplify call for Governor-elect Ihedioha to probe Okorocha

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

“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,” Nwosu said.

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