From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Ahead of the January 10 election of new executives of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has tasked South East governors on transparency and warned against partisanship and the imposition of preferred candidate(s).
Obidigbo, in a statement yesterday, argued that the zoning of the position of the next President-General of the organisation to Rivers State has presented a golden opportunity to begin the much-needed reforms in the running of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
He recalled that four years ago, the election of the George Obiozor-led executives in Owerri, Imo State, brought about some controversies ranging from allegations of imposition and non-qualification of contestants.
He said the late Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who succeeded Obiozor after his demise, also died before completing the remainder of the four-year term allotted to Imo State, leading to last year’s nomination of Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu to oversee the forthcoming poll.
He noted that the fact that Rivers State, from which the next Ohanaeze President-General is expected to emerge, does not have an Igbo governor, Southeast governors should allow aboriginal Igbo indigenes in the oil-rich state to endorse Presidential candidates to participate in the election.
The elder statesman stated that the note of warning became necessary following speculations in some quarters that a governor is making plans to impose his preferred candidate in connivance with a former Rivers State governor.
According to the elder statesman, anybody who is making efforts to colour the forthcoming Ohanaeze election with the brush of political partisanship or imposition of an unpopular candidate should be seen as public enemy number one of Ndigbo.
He stated: “The experience of the last four years has shown that Ohanaeze Ndigbo is long overdue for reforms. I believe that the zoning of the office of the next President-General to Rivers State presents a golden opportunity for this rebranding to begin.
“Ohanaeze started losing its respect and clout as the umbrella organisation of all Igbo when politically exposed persons, especially state governors, began to dictate the tune for the organisation. This ugly pathway should be avoided in this year’s election.
“There is no doubt that Ndi Igbo have suffered various forms of ill-treatment, ranging from name-calling, socio-economic marginalisation, and reputational damage.
“All these could be traced to the lack of a respected organ to ventilate our collective interest and lead the charge for value reorientation of Ndi Igbo.”
The elder statesman noted that the best way for Igbo to start regaining their respect and dignity is by doing things the proper way and electing men and women of good standing into positions of trust.
“The incoming 17-member National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze must consist of people of integrity, and they must emerge from a transparent election,” he declared.
He regretted that the politicisation of Ohanaeze began when the otherwise socio-cultural organisation started dabbling in the business of endorsing candidates of political parties in national elections.
“Next to the fight against sycophancy, I expect that the next leadership of Ohanaeze should shun any temptation to endorse or side with any candidate for a partisan political electoral contest.
“In the presidential democracy that Nigeria practices, there is no place for a collective vote of confidence or endorsement of candidates.
“Persons qualified to vote should be allowed to cast their ballot without any individual or group electing to vote on the citizen’s behalf,” he noted.
He expressed the hope that when respectable men and women of impeccable character are elected into the Ohanaeze leadership cadre, all Igbo would begin to take an interest in the organisation and contribute to its funding.
Obidigbo declared that nothing less than group funding, coupled with transparent and accountable leadership, will sever the umbilical cord of Ohanaeze from the purse strings of state governors.