Ohanaeze drops 2015 presidency from agenda

 

The meeting of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Imeobi (Inner Caucus) on Sunday struck out the discussion on the 2015 presidency from its agenda, following protests by some members that the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation must remain neutral in politics.


One of the nine items in the agenda of the meeting was to decide the political direction for Ndigbo in 2015.
However, the meeting shelved discussion on 2015, following protests by former Governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige and Chekwas Okorie.

Ngige, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC), warned that Ohanaeze must be insulated from partisan politics and should maintain neutrality, as the umbrella body of all Igbo, irrespective of political affiliation.

He said if Igbo in PDP had endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as their candidate for the 2015 presidency, it should not foreclose the constitutional right of Igbo in other political parties to vie for the presidency.

“Our brother, Chief Chekwas Okorie here told us that his party zoned the presidency to the South-East. Igbo in APC (All Progressives Congress) today stand a chance of producing the President. APC did not exclude any zone. Therefore, our rights should be respected as enshrined in the Constitution,” Ngige said.
Okorie re-affirmed the position of his party to zone the presidency to the South-East, warning Ndigbo not to make the mistake of 1999 when Ohanaeze endorsed Olu Falae and he lost to Olusegun Obasanjo and Ndigbo paid for it.

There was a mild drama at the meeting, as Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu came under fire over a statement credited to him in the media that Ndigbo should wait until 2027 to produce a President.
Iwuanyanwu said he spoke for himself and not for Ohanaeze or Ndigbo.