By Petrus Obi, Enugu
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Abia State and business mogul, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, have congratulated the newly-elected executive of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, under the leadership of Chief John Nnia Nwodo.
Atiku, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said Nwodo’s election was auspicious, coming at a time when the Igbo nation and Nigerians are facing challenges of nationhood and need men, women of knowledge and goodwill to get the country out of this challenge.
“Nwodo could not have assumed leadership at a better time,” he said.
The Turakin Adamawa noted that “Nwodo ranks high among many quality men and women in the Igbo nation who can fill the position of leader of Ohanaeze and, for the mantle to have fallen on the former minister of Information attests to the high esteem in which he is held in Igbo land and beyond.”
The APC chieftain commended the leadership of Ohanaeze for “holding a hitch-free and rancour-free election thereby showing that democratic transfer of power in our society can be carried out in a harmonious manner.”
The Turaki Adamawa urged the new executive of the group and the generality of Igbo to join hands with the new president-general to proffer solutions to the myriads of issues of interest to the Igbo people and Nigerians in general.
On his part, Kalu said he was particularly enthralled by the fact that, for the first time in a long while, the association held a rancour-free election which produced credible results.
In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Ebere Wabara, the former governor enjoined the group’s officials to eschew partisanship in their dealings with everyone. “Ohanaeze should consciously, and strictly, be non-aligned by avoiding taking sides with any political party, individual or group.
“The new leadership must pursue the interests of the Igbo, no matter where they are located. Even those in the Diaspora should also be catered to, as if they were within the country. Channels of cross-border bonding should be established so that it is not only during external challenges that we remember our brothers domiciled in most parts of the world.
“I enjoin Nwodo and his eminent colleagues on the executive to remain focused and work towards reconciling all the Igbo who have sundry differences so as to enthrone a common front for the pursuit of the transformation of our disadvantaged zone. The South East needs the unity of purpose in repositioning itself. Endless individual and group squabbles undermine our development and maximal participation in national politics.
“The time has come for the Igbo to rediscover themselves and stop working at cross-purposes. The Nwodo-led team should ensure that they make a difference this time round, based on their personal profiles as distinguished professionals and public servants at various levels,” Kalu said.
While wishing them a successful tenure, Kalu declared that he has no doubt in the capacity of the new executive to re-engineer the socio-cultural organisation and redressing all outstanding issues affecting the Igbo geo-political axis.
The business mogul appealed to some members of the Igbo political elite, who allegedly have reservations over the electoral processes that culminated in the emergence of the new executive to sheathe their swords and allow sleeping dogs lie, in the overall interest of the Igbo nationality.
Meanwhile, former minister of Health and Secretary of Ohanaeze Electoral Committee, Professor Alphonsus B.C. Nwosu has denied allegations making the rounds that some South East governors hijacked the electoral process in the recently concluded elections into the new National Executive Committee of the Igbo apex body.
Nwosu, who briefed newsmen in Enugu, yesterday, insisted that “Ohanaeze Ndigbo has not been hijacked by governors. What happened during the election was what we had been looking for and have not had for a long time, that governors only showed healthy interest in Ohanaeze so that it will not be in conflict with the people without compromising the independence of Ohanaeze.
“Because of the way the president general has emerged, no rational being will say that Nwodo was the candidate of the governor but the candidate of Enugu people, just like the way Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was the candidate of Enugu people and got elected.
“The same process of zoning and consensus of Enugu people that produced the governor, with the best of my knowledge, also produced the president-general of Ohanaeze. When it is zoned, the people will call a meeting to choose who will go for them…”
“The National Election Committee (NEC) applied Ohanaeze’s constitution and five people bought the form at half a million naira. One of them dropped because he did not show up for the screening and elections even though he bought the form. It would be wrong for people who lost in the election to claim that it was hijacked and I will challenge them anywhere,” he said.
On what it portends for the Igbo nation, Professor Nwosu said “Ohanaeze should be seen as the Board of Trustees in the conscience of the Igbo nation while the governors are the implementers of the wishes and directions that the Igbo nation wishes to go. Ohanaeze cannot implement anything. So, they lose nothing by having a buy-in with the governors.
“What is expected now is for Ohanaeze to have a clear vision and it can be rest assured that the governors of the Igbo nation, irrespective of their political affiliations know where politics ends and the interest of Ndigbo begin. I am alarmed to hear that the 17 elected members sworn in yesterday consist of governor’s candidates,” he explained.
Professor Nwosu further advised those not satisfied with the election results to seek redress in a court of law.
“It is within the right of Madueke to take legal action where he thinks his rights have been infringed upon. I heard that he had audience with his state governor when he felt that the whole process was not going as planned and they had a lengthy discussion. I am not privileged to know what the discussion was all about. He was former governor of old Anambra State. He is vice admiral, equivalent to major general and he is entitled to any constitutional step he may wish to pursue his position.
“We also set criteria in the election process. We did not exclude him from the process. He bought the form and paid. We left screening open long after the time has ended to leave him with the window to come for screening. The same thing applies to Richard Ozobu. I don’t want to infringe on a person’s right. He can seek redress. He was also in the hall throughout the election from the beginning to the end. I saw him, he was sitting in the front row. My answer is that anybody is free to seek redress,” he said.