By Valentine Amanze
The President-General of Ohanaeze Worldwide, Chief Nnia Nwodo, has said that the need to restructure Nigeria made the Igbo to support Alhaji Atiku Abubakkar and Mr. Peter Obi in the last presidential election.
He disclosed this while interacting with journalists in Enugu.
Nwodo said that the preponderance of views among the Southerners, including the East was on the need for restructuring. He said that after extensive consultations with most of the presidential candidates, it was clear that only Atiku had the understanding and plans for restructuring.
According to him, since that was what the Igbo wanted, his responsibility was to voice it out and that was what he exactly did.
He explained that the choice of Ndigbo was proved by the voting pattern. He also said that the same pattern could be observed in the South-South, while South-West that was affected because they had a Vice presidential candidate.
On what informed the protest of some Igbo when Atiku chose Obi as his running mate, he said that whatever those that protested gave as excuses were nullified by Obi’s towering personality.
His words: “Peter Obi’s personal qualifications assailed those misgivings. Peter Obi as a governor is still arguably, in this generation of governance and since the advent of this constitution, the best.
“If you go to Anambra State you will see how Peter Obi has improved infrastructure in the state; you will see how Peter Obi attracted international financial organisations; how he increased human capital development, from Anambra becoming the best in external examinations; how he built savings as a bases towards building economic credibility for government to get financial empowerment from financial institutions; how he quickened the growth of agro-based industry; how he quickened the growth of assembly plant for vehicles have in Anambra State, God have mercy! Peter Obi is something to celebrate in Igbo land. Please do not diminish his accomplishments. He has a soft mien that does not shout to his abilities, but he has done well in the political arena.”
Decrying the fate of Ndigbo in Nigeria, Nwodu said that it was bad that government deals with real terrorist with kid’s gloves while turning around to hound IPOB members who, as far as I was concerned, were not terrorist, but those agitating for a better deal for their people.
On what keeps him moving despite the risks, Nwodo said that he was not deterred and that the joy of serving the people would remain his strength.
