By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The victory achieved by All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the Saturday February 25, 2023 presidential election in Nigeria continues to receive acceptance across the regions as the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide, describes as one that is gladdening to the heart.
This was as contained in statement signed by Ambassador Tony Chiemelu Obizoba, the Director General, Strategic Planning and Implementations of the Ndi Igbo organisation, dated Sunday 5th March 2023 and circulated to the general media including The DEFENDER.
According to the statement, “The group visualises success of the APC flagbearer in the election contest as one that will lead to unifying Nigerians for a focused development plan that will follow. Tinubu is capable and we have no doubt in his capacity to ensuring continuity on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari, which are obvious, indisputably correct and will continue to stand as good legacies for generations of leaders to come.
“The Ohanaeze Nndigbo, while also congratulating Peter Obi for creating what has become unprecedented commitment to changing the status quo with a hitherto unpopular political party, making remarkable sweeps of votes across all regions but North West of Nigeria, to finish an “unputdownable” third position.
“This Igbo umbrella body will continue to remember Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, as one who despite all odds laboured hard to actualise a Nigerian President from the Igbo Land, although God has not destined it to happen in 2023. It is possible it will happen later. God spares the life of everybody.
“It will not be out of place to also congratulate the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Presidential Candidate, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar GCON, on his effort that ended with second position. Across the top three political parties were Igbo sons and daughters, who made frantic effort because as APC, PDP and LP there are Igbo people who notably campaigned and voted.
“The bloc votes for Peter Obi in the South East should, however, not be seen by anyone as anti-other Nigerians. It is more to show that the Igbo do not really hate themselves as some Nigerians tend to say. In all, general performances of the candidates across parties have given this group the confidence to agree that the emergence of one of them, who is Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is well deserved and we say congratulations!” The ethnic nationality group spoke to the fact of a father-figure to all Igbo across political parties in any given state of the Nigerian federation.
It, however, noted that profiling Igbo for attacks and threats, as have been circulated on videos, audios and have been physically seen on the streets of particularly Lagos State since the last presidential election, wherein Dr. Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) defeated the president-elect, is undemocratic and should not be seen to happen in a statement like the Centre of Excellence.
“We also want to seize this opportunity to call on some elements in Lagos State, who see the vote for Labour Party’s Peter Obi as hate by Igbo people and who are therefore now threatening the lives of Igbo. It should not be so.
“From the investigations by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide, the votes in Lagos was not solely an Igbo thing but a decisive voting system by a rainbow movement of people from across the tribes, who live and do businesses in Lagos State. It should be seen more as Nigerians across tribes exercising their franchise to freely vote to choose their leaders in a democracy as enshrined and guaranteed in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Those who are circulating videos, threatening and drumming the sounds of war over the coming Governorship and House of Assembly elections of March 11, 2023 in Lagos State because of Igbo people, should stop it in the national interest of Nigeria and collective good of the masses of the Nigerian people.
We would not end this press statement without having to extol the grand performance of President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, the General Lucky Irabor-led Nigerian Armed Forces, the IGP Usman Alkali Baba-led Nigeria Police Force and the Alhaji Yusuf Magaji Bichi-led Department of State Service (DSS) as well as the leadership of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for their neutrality that brought whatever challenges emanating from the recent voting exercise to the barest minimum.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide, therefore, call on the President, the security forces and security/intelligence agencies to improve on the performances of the last election to make the governorship and national assembly elections of March 11 more commendable.
