2019 Elections: Atiku Abubakar Is Not Our Favorite,  Says Igbo Leader

Eniola Olayemi

A major disagreement has broken out among Igbo leaders on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition.

Some Igbo leaders met on November 14, last year to “adopt” Atiku, who is running on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

But the apex Igbo socio-political organisation,  Ohanaeze Ndigbo,  has distanced itself from the alleged endorsement of Atiku for the February 16 election.

The one-day summit on November 14, last year, in Enugu, endorsed Atiku because of what it called his disposition to restructuring the country if voted into office.

At the one-day summit, elder statesman Prof. Ben Nwabueze, 86, called on them to “do me the honour of achieving the success of the (Atiku/Peter Obi) ticket before I am gone”.

“We must ensure the survival of the Igbo race in Nigeria and it is only through the success of that ticket that we can get it”, the law professor said.

Nwabueze, who chaired the meeting, explained that the ticket would “ensure our survival”.

At the meeting were: Ambassador George Obiozor, Senator Ike Nwachukwu, Ohanaeze President Chief Nnia Nwodo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Prof ABC Nwosu, Senator Chris Anyanwu, Senator Theodore Orji, Senator Ben Obi and Chief Achike Udenwa.

Also there were Prof. Uche Azikiwe, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Chief Emeka Ugwu-Oju, Chief Garry Igariwey, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu, Prof Osita Ogbu, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Lawrence Nwuruku, Prof Walter Ofonagoro and Archbishop Maxwell Anikwenwa.

There were also Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Commodore James Aneke (retd), Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi, Prof Uzodinma Nwala, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Air Comdr Allison Madueke (retd), Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, Prof. Anya O. Anya and Prof Chudi Uwazurike, among others.

In a five-point resolution issued at the end of the summit, with the theme “Ndigbo 2019 and Beyond”, read by Agbakoba, the leaders said the position was based on the restructuring agenda put on the table by Atiku/Obi, which four zones of the country had agreed on.

The resolution states in part:  “We identify with the Atiku/Peter Obi ticket on the restructuring agenda as has been reiterated by four zones of the country, namely: Southsouth, Southwest, Northcentral and Southeast. We believe that as long as the federating units remain weak the centre will continue to be weak. We equally move to appreciate the position of the Atiku/Obi ticket in promoting national unity.”

In its reaction to the purported endorsement, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said Atiku and his co-travellers in the PDP have become shameless by trying to fool an entire nation to support her in spite of her several years of misrule.