Insecurity not reason to deny Igbo president- Ohanaeze

 

Igbo socio-political group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Saturday said that there was no reason to deny the Igbo the opportunity to produce the successor of the present president, Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Ohanaeze said that the current security challenges in the region was not an alibi to deny Ndigbo the opportunity to succeed Buhari in 2023.

 

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, George Obiozor, in his Christmas and New Year message to Ndigbo which he delivered in Owerri, Imo state on Friday, said that though the region expressed insecurities and economic downturn in 2021, 2022 provides good things for south easterners.

 

The Igbo leader said, “Insecurity is a poisoned arrow deliberately fired on the south east. We in Ohanaeze say categorically that the architects of this mischievous scheme have failed woefully.

 

“Insecurity will not be an excuse to deny the Presidency of Nigeria to the south east in 2023.”

 

“Consequently Ndigbo were confronted with anger or envy ,hostility and violence at any given crisis in Nigeria and even outside Nigeria.

 

“Ndigbo seek Nigeria unity but not unity of slaves and masters, we seek peace but not peace of the grave yard. We seek justice because we know that throughout history those denied justice have had no interest in peace.

 

 “Today Nigeria President of Igbo extraction is imperative and an idea whose time has come.”

 

Speaking on the abandoned proposal of floating the Ebubeagu security outfit for the zone, Obiozor said that Ohanaeze after a meeting with the governors of the south east recently has gotten their assurance to launch the security outfit to enhance security in the zone even as he charged the governors to keep their promise and make the project a reality before the end of the year.

 

Meanwhile,elder statesman and chairman of the Ohanaeze Council of Elders,Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has insisted that there is no faction in the organisation, affirming that the only recognised President is Obiozor.

 

“We would only be making ourselves a laughing stock if we continue to believe that there is faction in Ohanaeze,Obiozor was duely elected and it was seen by all,” Iwuanyanwu said.