By Adadainfo
Reports making the rounds that Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo was taken to two deities in Imo State for arbitration because of his stance on Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023 elections, Mr Peter Obi, are products of mischief-makers.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide disclosed this in a statement made available to Adadareporters.com on Wednesday. The statement was signed by Ohanaeze’s national publicity secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia.
According to Dr Ogbonia, “The secretary general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is Ambassador Okey Emuchay, and any claim to the contrary are mischief-makers, impostors, charlatans, social climbers and those media navigators who leech on the invaluable footprints of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to issue press releases for narrow, perverse and illicit pecuniary interests.”
Our correspodent reports that the press release on Soludo being taken to Imo deities was issued by a faction of Ohanaeze, with one Isiguzoro as secretary general.
Dr Ogbonnia regretted the publication, noting that, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide would have ignored the said press release, but silence in this circumstance will tend to give validity to such a fallacy by the unsuspecting public.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo has never contemplated consultation to deities in seeking solutions for the Igbo dilemma. The Igbo are profoundly endowed in various ways least of which is a resort to deities.”
Soludo has come under criticism of late for attacks on Obi. One of them is his statement that Obi’s investments as governor of Anambra were ‘next to nothing’, and secondly that Obi ‘can’t win’ the presidential election in 2023.
Ohanaeze however thanked well-meaning Nigerians for their support for Obi. The pan-Igbo group however regretted the failure of PDP and APC to zone their presidential slots to South East, adding Obi had fulfilled the vacuum.
Quoting Dr Ogbonnia, “On November 15, 2022, the National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo held a meeting presided over by Amb George Obiozor, Ohanaeze’s president general. The issue of the place of the Igbo in 2023 was elaborately discussed.
“The emergence of Mr Peter Obi as of today has fulfilled all the expectations of Ndigbo to participate in the 2023 presidential elections which include winning the primaries of the party and being nominated as the presidential candidate of the party.
“The position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and of course the Igbo with respect to 2023 is constant. We thank all the eminent Nigerians that have lent their supports or thrown their weight behind the cause of justice, equity, unity, progress and corporate existence of Nigeria in the person of Mr Peter Obi.
“For several years to come, it will be recorded as ‘once upon a time, Ndigbo were shortchanged in the political calculations of Nigeria and Mr Peter Obi from Anambra State braved up to change the narratives and that he was able to fill the Nigerian expectations.”
Ohanaeze therefore disclaimed the release, adding that, “It is such unwholesome activities by some maladjusted, impish scaremongers that have been the bane of Igbo cohesion and progress. It is worth repeating that various eminent Igbo dignitaries have appealed to such mischief-makers to appreciate that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide represents the Igbo history, emotions, collectivity, spirituality, unity and strength.”
