Ohanaeze Elders Council expressed profound disappointment at the outcome of the PDP, APC presidential primaries.
By Emeka Alex Duru
In a commendable exhibition of courage, the Elders Council of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has expressed displeasure at the outcome of the recent presidential primaries by the two leading political parties in the country – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), describing them as unjust and against the spirit of national unity. This was part of the Council’s resolution at its extraordinary meeting on Saturday, June 18.
While the PDP nominated former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate at its May 29 convention, the APC settled for the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu at its June 8 primary. On both occasions, the South East was snubbed.
Obviously unfazed by the development, Ohanaeze Elders Council expressed profound disappointment at the outcome. In a communique expressing its distaste, it stated: “The Council viewed the outcomes of the Presidential nomination exercises conducted by APC and PDP, as unjust; and as very avoidable setbacks to the quest for the much-desired national unity and full integration of the peoples of Nigeria”.
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It added; “The Council urges the people of the South East, as well as South East politicians regardless of whichever political formations they belong, and our friends and well-wishers across Nigeria, to remain steadfast; to actively engage in the political process, not to be frustrated or despondent; to reach out to other fair-minded Nigerians of all walks of life and build bonds of friendship and unity; to study the political situation, continue to develop and evaluate all options between now and the Presidential election in 2023; and then take the appropriate steps to ensure fair participation and equity for the South East zone in the governance and affairs of Nigeria”.
The release was signed by Chief (Dr) Emmanuel C. lwuanyanwu, chairman of the Council and Ambassador Okey Emuchay, Secretary-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide
(For the President General, Ambassador (Prof) George Obiozor).
Many Igbo of note, attended the meeting. They included immediate past Presidents – General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo: Chief Gary Enwo Igariwey and Chief John Nnia Nwodo; former Governors: Sen Jim I. Nwobodo, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Chief Achike Udenwa. The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Prof George Obiozor was represented by the Secretary General, Ambassador Okey Emuchay.
Other Council Members in attendance were Chief S N Okeke, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, Sen. Joy Emordi, Prof Chinwe Obaji, Hon. Ned Nwoko, Sen Ben Obi, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu, Sen. Victor Umeh, Chief Gbazueagu .N. Gbazueagu, Dr. Ferdinand Agu, Sam Ohuabunwa, Chief (Dr) Sam Obaji, Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru SAN, Dr. Katch Ononuju and Prof. Charles Nwekeaku with several other stakeholders.
It takes more than a casual interpretation to understand the reasons for the Ohanaeze Elders Council’s strong position. Before the primaries by the two political parties, many Nigerians of good conscience had agreed that 2023 was the time for the Igbo to have a shot at the presidency, having been literally kept in the lurch all this while.
In fact, months to the conventions, regional groupings such as Southern and Middle-Belt Leadership Forum, Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, the Afenifere, Middle Belt Peoples Congress (MBPC), Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), eminent political, religious, societal and civil society leaders and groupings, had pleaded that for the sake of justice, equity and fairness, the Presidency of Nigeria should be zoned to the South East. Senior citizens like Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere leader, Chief Edwin Clarke, and Dr. Bitrus Pogu of MBPC, had taken the campaigns to many parts of the country on why the Igbo should be allowed to produce the president next year.
Incidentally, both the PDP and APC had raised hopes of carrying all the component parts of the country along in sharing key political offices, especially the presidency.
Take a look at the PDP, for instance. At its formation on July 29, 1998, the facilitators had dreamed of a party that would put the Nigerian nation on a new phase of political engineering. They had pledged instituting a platform that would ensure just and equitable distribution of power, resources, wealth and opportunities to conform to the principles of power shift and power sharing.
Rotation of key political offices and equitable devolution of powers to zones, states and local governments so as to create socio-political conditions conducive to national unity and to defend the sanctity of electoral democracy, ranked high in the party’s agenda.
APC at formation in 2013, had described itself as a change with a vow to restructure the country, devolve power to the units, with the best practices of federalism and eliminate unintended paralysis of the center.
Both had preached rotation of key offices in the land among the major component units. These were the considerations that informed the PDP giving the South West the chance to produce the president through Olusegun Obasanjo, in 1999. In 2007, it conceded the slot to the North through the late Umar Yar’Adua. The South-South also had a feel of the office through Goodluck Jonathan. The expectation was that it was going to be the turn of the South East, next time.
In the APC, it was hoped that with President Muhammadu Buhari from the North teaming with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo from the South West, the slot would come to the South East in 2023.
But when it mattered most, the South East was treated with scorn by the two parties. That was the kernel of the speech by Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, former Minister for Science and Technology at the APC convention. In raising his voice and hands and asking, ‘where is the justice; where is the justice; where is the justice? (in the system)’, Onu raised moral questions on the place of justice and fair play in contemporary Nigeria
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), had left the PDP where he was a leading aspirant on similar considerations. He had lamented that certain untoward developments in the PDP had made it difficult for him to use its platform to contribute meaningfully to building the nation, hence his exit for LP.
This is where the advice by the Ohanaeze Elders Council to the Igbo and other Nigerians disappointed by the manifestation of injustice in PDP and APC, not to lose hope but to be alert on political developments in the country, finds meaning.
As it is, Nigerians have been offered options in 2023. The choice is no longer restricted to the PDP or APC. Labour Party has provided a refreshing window of hope, with Peter Obi on the vanguard.