The Apex socio-cultural youth organization of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ohanaeze Youths Council, OYC, has urged South-westerners and South-Southerners to see the forthcoming 2023 presidential election as a time for their political reciprocation of the Southeastern region.
Addressing newsmen in Nicon Luxury hotel in Abuja, Wednesday, March 9, shortly after an exclusive meeting, in readiness for the ethnic nationalities Southern youth leaders summit coming up in Owerri, Imo State, the National President of OYC, Comrd. Igboayaka O. Igboayaka reiterated that “it is politically timely for South-South and Southwest to show a reciprocal political gesture to Southeast.”
Cmrd. Igboayaka, reminded Southwesterners that South-South understood justice, fairness and equity, hence the Southeastern political gladiators dropped their presidential ambitions to settle the ill-political treatment done to Yorubas at the annulment of June 12 presidential election.
According to Igboayaka, the said annulment regrettably, denied Chief MKO Abiola opportunity to govern Nigeria.
Speaking expressly on the issue, he said: “In every fairness and equity, Former Governor Bola Tinubu’s political teams and APC political elite and members from Southwest owe Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu a political reciprocation. This is because Ogbonnaya Onu dropped his presidential ambition in 1999 with APP, which made Chief Samuel Oluyemisi Falae (CFR) simply known as Olu Falae the presidential flag bearer, who then contested on a joint Alliance for Democracy, All People’s Party that gave Olu Falea 11,110,28 votes. Therefore Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu deserves a Regional honour from Yoruba nation and their massive support for APC Presidential ticket in 2022 primary election.
Adding, he said: “It is obvious that towards the actualization of Southwest presidential project in 1999, Southeast paid an ultimate political price and sacrifice through the effort of Dr. Alex Ekwueme who played low and accepted internal arrangements for Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo to pick the presidential ticket of PDP in 1999.
The Igbo youth leader recalled the efforts of Southeast on the 1999 resounding victory of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo at the presidential election, lamenting that any attempt by a Southwesterner to fight against their Southeastern counterpart at the forthcoming APC primary election would tantamount to “regional and tribal hatred”.
In his words, “It will amount to regional and tribal hatred if any presidential aspirant from the Southwest decides to challenge Southeast presidential Aspirants in APC in the forthcoming 2022 primary election. The Southeast became political spectators in 1999 presidential election just to allow the Southwest to play the presidential political tournament which led to the victory of Yorubas, hence Chief Olusegun Obasanjo won 18,738,154 votes. So, statistically, Olusegun Obasanjo got 62.78% while Olu Falea got 37.22%, making all winning to Yoruba nation”, he recounted”.
Similarly, he used the medium to appeal to the people of South-south to return the gestures as displayed by the southeasterners which evidently pave the way for the emergence of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as the Vice and later President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the year 2011 and 2015, respectively.
He described the same as a glaring demonstration of unalloyed love and support the Ndigbo have for the two neighbourly regions.
Igboayaka said: “The overwhelming vote of Southeast to President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and 2015 is a description of love and solidarity to our brothers in South-South.
He maintained that such political gesture ought to be recompensed in 2023, stressing that “it will also amount to regional hatred and political sabotage if any South-South dare Southeast Presidential aspirant in PDP primary.
“It is a call for new Nigeria that party loyalists in PDP should vote massively for Southeast presidential aspirants in 2022 PDP presidential primary election. This is a sign to heal political wounds to prepare the next generation of South-South for a stronger political unity, describing Nigerian president of Southeast extraction as “healing balm to all political wounds and a rallying point for national political integration and Unity.
“Any presidential aspirants from South-South, Southwest, North-east, North-central and Northwest is a threat to Nigeria’s unity and national integration, which will lead to national disaster and anarchy”, Comr. Igboayaka maintained.
