Ohaneze Ndigbo, Alaigbo Development Foundation and other Igbo groups reiterate their support and endorsement of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party

By Emeka Ejere

Igbo stakeholders rose from an emergency meeting today in Enugu, reaffirming their total support for Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, because of his commitment to restructuring Nigeria.

A communigue issued at the end of the meeting stated that “Ndigbo reiterate our unequivocal support and endorsement for the Atiku/Obi presidential ticket as already announced by the national leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Alaigbo Development Foundation, ADF, and other Igbo interest groups like the Association of South-East Town Unions, ASETU, etc.”

Prior to the meeting, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, had openly endorsed the candidacy of Atiku, who has never minced words in his resolve to restructure Nigeria if elected president.

Realnews learnt that the aim of the emergency meeting held by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide in collaboration with Alaigbo Development Foundation, ADF, was to exhaustively review recent events in the Nigerian polity as they relate to Ndigbo in particular, especially in the aftermath of the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections in the country.

The meeting expressed the solidarity and commitment of all Pan-Igbo groups and stakeholders to work together in view of the dire situation facing Nigeria in general and Ndigbo in particular.

In an 18-point communique’, the meeting noted that only one political party, has so far committed to the restructuring of Nigeria, based on the manifesto released by the presidential candidate of the PDP that meets substantially the demands for a just society where ethnicities, regions and sections of society are allowed to relate as they wish, make progress at their own pace, without interference by the others.

The communique’ read in part:“We agree that the irreducible minimum for Ndigbo that will be acceptable for their continued participation in the Nigerian enterprise will be a renegotiated and restructured Nigeria based on EQUALITY, EQUITY and JUSTICE and for the component regions and individuals who will live under it authority. It must be one that ensures SELF-DETERMINATION for the various nationalities, regional autonomy and freedom of the component regions to manage and control their political environment and resources and worship their God without let or hindrance,

“Consequently our demand for the total restructuring of the Nigerian polity as encapsulated in the Ekwueme Square,  Awka, Declaration by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and its ADF-facilitated Enugu affirmation endorsed by many Igbo groups, remain the best framework for a workable Nigerian state and we stand by those declarations at all times.

“We note that only one political party, has so far committed to the Restructuring of Nigeria, based on the manifesto released by the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that meets substantially the demands for a just society where ethnicities, regions and sections of society are allowed to relate as they wish, make progress at their own pace, without interference by the others.

“Therefore Ndigbo, reiterate our unequivocal support and endorsement for the Atiku/Obi presidential ticket as already announced by the national leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Alaigbo Development Foundation, (ADF, and other Igbo interest groups like the Association of South-East Town Unions (ASETU), etc.

“That we call on all Igbo registered voters both at home and outside the Igbo homeland to come out enmasse join all patriotic Nigerians of other ethnic nationalities and vote for the Atiku/Obi ticket. This election is our collective struggle for freedom and we must count it all joy to be part of history.

“We note with great disappointment the inciting comments by certain persons in authority, which directly fuel security concerns about the safety of Ndigbo, both inside and outside Igbo land, both during and after the general elections. “We also note the proliferating presence of able bodied young men of questionable intent, doing no serious business, who have flooded all nooks and crannies of our homeland.

“We urge all town Unions in Igboland to be very vigilante to monitor and control the movement and activities of all persons in their domain and report all untoward activities to the appropriate quarters for analysis and action.”

– Feb. 21, 2019 @ 07:20 GMT |