Ohaneze Ndigbo endorses Jonathan, urges Igbos to vote for him

Igbo apex ruling body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Monday in Awka, the Anambra State Capital, endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election.

President of Ohanaeze in Anambra State, who is also the chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo State Presidents Forum, Chris Eluemunoh, said that the seven presidents-general of the seven states that make up the Igbo nation which include, Anambra; Chris Elumunoh, Enugu; Dr Eric Ebeh, Imo; Dr Ezechi Chukwu , Abia; Chief Emmanuel Oparanta, Ebonyi; Pius Nwankwo, Rivers; Prince Igo Okparamma and Delta; Ifeanyichukwu Onwukamike, resolved to endorse Jonathan because of the need to implement the national conference recommendations.

In a communiqué signed by the seven presidents-general, they posited that since the All Progressive Congress (APC), opted out of the conference, it meant that the initiator, President Jonathan would be voted to implement it.

It reads: “Considering the realities of the forthcoming 2015 general elections, Ohanaeze Ndigbo State Presidents forum, has objectively made a critical assessment of the scenario and our findings revealed that the implementation of the just concluded National Conference resolutions is both timely and necessary for the sake of equity, fairness and common good of all Nigerians as an entity”.

The group stated that since President Jonathan convened the national conference, it was logical to re-elect him so he can implement the confab resolutions.

“In view of the forgoing, the Ohanaeze state presidents forum, therefore, endorses President Jonathan in the forthcoming presidential election and urges all Ndigbo in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja to vote massively for him,” the group added.

On the crises rocking the apex Igbo body, they stated that Chief Enwo Igariweh and Dr. Joe Nworgu remained the President-General and Secretary General of the body.

“We disassociate ourselves and condemn herewith illicit and inordinate activities of Chief Mbazulike Amaechi and his cohorts in their bid to undermine the integrity of the duly elected National Executive Council (NEC) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo”.

The leaders noted that Chief Mbazulike and cohorts lacked the locus standi, statutory legitimacy and moral wherewithal to decimate or truncate the constitutional four year term of the Igariweh-led executive .

“Mbazulike is neither the leader nor spokesperson of Ndigbo and should refrain from parading himself as same.

“Mbazulike and his cohorts are running the risk of extensive sanctions from Ohanaeze Ndigbo if they do not desist from their well-established antithetical utterances and inimical activities geared toward denigrating the present Ohanaeze Ndigbo NEC and the corporate integrity of Ohanaeze”, they added.

The forum also condemned the alleged bombing of its secretariat by an unscrupulous elements in the night of Jan. 24, 2015 and implored security operatives to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime to face the wrath of the law. Culled