-
In 2027
Ohaneze Ndigbo is one of the biggest and most respected socio-cultural groups in the country today. It is the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation. The organisation was founded in 1976 and was largely created by Professor Ben Nwabueze. It was set up to cater for the needs of Igbo communities within and outsider Nigeria and at present, Ohaneze Ndigbo is headed by Senator John Azuta-Mbata. And since it was created, it has established itself as the most authentic voice of the Igbo nation. They have represented the aspirations of the Igbo communities under their watch to the best of their ability and they are largely regarded as the true voice of the Igbo people. And this is why the government takes them seriously when they speak. Often times, government of the day runs into conflicts with them in their bid to press home their demands.
Before the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the 16th President of Nigeria, it was thought that the Ohaneze naturally would throw its weight fully behind one of their own, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. While it remains unclear if they indeed threw their full weight behind Peter Obi, facts are beginning to point to the fact the Ohaneze indeed has preferred to throw its weight behind President Bola Tinubu and support its 2nd term ambition, come 2027.
Following the emergence of the Senator John Azuta-Mbata as its new leader, the Ohaneze surprised not only a few when it took on former Minister of Information and two term governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi for making statements it considered inciting and inflammatory against President Bola Tinubu. Amaechi’s comments, which included calls for “brutal force” to snatch power from Tinubu in 2027, were deemed alarming and divisive by Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
In a statement issued by the Deputy President General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, in Kaduna on Saturday, Ohanaeze Ndigbo denounced Amaechi’s rhetoric as a threat to democracy, peace, and civility.
Isiguzoro, also distanced Ohanaeze Ndigbo from Amaechi’s statements, emphasizing that the Igbo people would never endorse any political conspiracy aimed at undermining the legitimacy of an elected President.
He said, “Amaechi’s outrageous call for Nigerians to resort to ‘brutal force’ in an attempt to snatch power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by 2027 starkly contravenes the principles of civility, democracy, and peace that we hold dear.
“Amaechi’s equally disconcerting assertion that politicians must be willing to ‘steal, maim, and kill’ to retain power not only diminishes the dignity of our political discourse but also poses a dire threat to the very fabric of our society.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reckless and incendiary comments made by Chibuike Amaechi against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“It is essential to declare firmly that the Ndigbo will never endorse any political conspiracy aimed at undermining the legitimacy of an elected President.”
Furthermore, Ohanaeze Ndigbo backed the stance of the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, who urged Amaechi to cease inciting the populace.
“We unequivocally lend our support to the position articulated by the Minister of State for Defence, H.E. Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle.
“We echo his urgent call for Mr. Amaechi to retract his divisive statements and cease from further inciting the populace, lest he face the inevitable repercussions of his actions,” Isiguzoro said.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo reiterated its unwavering allegiance to President Tinubu and commitment to fostering peace, stability, and fruitful governance in Nigeria.
“Our resolve is steadfast, as we remain committed to fostering peace, stability, and fruitful governance in Nigeria.
“Let it be said that the aspirations of the Igbo people align with a future predicated upon legitimate leadership, respect for democratic processes, and a shared vision for a prosperous Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
This bold move by the Ohaneze to throw its full weight behind the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has astounded many Nigerians, particularly those who are of Igbo extraction who still appear not to have forgiven the President for defeating Peter Obi at the polls in 2023. They have been very clear about their dislike for the President and would take on any of their own that tries to identrify with him or supports his government and political aspirations. And expectedly, they are certainly not happy about Ohaneze’s recent move to defend Tinubu against Rotimi Amaechi. They insist Ohaneze should reflect their interests alone at all times, which includes disparaging the President like they often do. They feel the President, who has only spent about one and half years in office, has not done anything for the south-east possibly because they didn’t vote for him at the last presidential election in 2023.
But the current leadership of Ohaneze and a lot of Igbo elites and top politicians do not agree with this assertion. They think that, in fact, if there is one president that has surprised the south east the most, it should be President Tinubu, on account of the great things he has done for the Igbo people and many more that are in the works. There is also the appointment of Igbos into positions never before occupied by anyone from the south east, such as that of the Minister for Works given to Dave Umahi. Before she was recently sacked, Uju Kennedy was the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs while Bianca Ojukwu was appointed Minister of State, internal Affairs. There are of course other several top positions within the present government occupied by Igbos. As regard road infrastructure, only recently, the board member representing the Southeast zone in the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, dismissed insinuations that the Southeast zone is being neglected in road construction by the federal government.
According to Ugbala, the Enugu-Onitsha road is under construction, as well as the 9th Mile-Gboko-Makurdi road and other projects, with the zone also benefiting from the coastal road project of the Tinubu administration.
Hear him: “The nation is like a basket with food, and everyone is scrambling for more. Even if neglect had ever been the case before we came on board, I know that Southeast roads are now receiving good attention. We are benefiting from the coastal road and the ring road.
“These are things that have never happened to us before. The road from Enugu to Onitsha is under construction. The road from Gboko to Makurdi, connecting to the 9th Mile, is also under construction.
“So, I think the Southeast is no longer being neglected. All we need is patience with our President and, of course, the Minister for Works.
We are going to get the best from this administration. That is why we call on our people to continue their support,” he stated.
Ugbala, a former Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government (SSG), also advocated for a stronger maintenance culture for road projects to ensure their durability.
“We are aware that, as a nation, we need to work seriously on our maintenance culture. It’s not enough to build roads; the key is to maintain them.
When roads are not maintained, we lose everything we have invested.
“The President has given us a marching order to ensure all roads in the nation are attended to. Our approach is to act aggressively on this responsibility.
If you travel from Abakaliki to Enugu, you’ll see maintenance work by FEMA.
“You can also see maintenance on the road from Abakaliki to Afikpo. There are still eight critical areas that need urgent attention. Across Abia, Enugu, and parts of Anambra, all the Southeast states are receiving attention.
“This year, we aim to improve on what we’ve been doing. Many roads have been included in the budget. While our resources may not be sufficient to meet all demands, we are committed to transparency and ensuring value for money. It is not easy working with the contractors,” he said.
Apart from the construction of roads, another significant thing the Bola Tinubu administration has done that has pleased and excited a lot of Igbo elites was the signing into law, last year, bills that would accelerate development across geo-political zones in the country and this included the establishment of the south East Development Commission, something the Igbos had been clamouring for for many decades.
The South-East Development Commission was primarily established to ensure the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses, and other infrastructural damages suffered by the zone, as well as tackle ecological problems, and other related environmental or developmental challenges in South-East states.
President Tinubu believes in building the nation on the fulcrum of fairness, equity, and unity; hence, he is committed to ensuring equitable development, inclusive governance, and the provision of qualitative services to all Nigerians — no matter where they reside — while knitting even more tightly together the national fabric.
It is for the aforementioned reasons that the Ohaneze Ndigbo now appears to be fully supporting President Tinubu in his bid to retain power for a second term come 2027. And they seem to be very serious about their intentions to rally support for the President. They believe in him. They trust in him and his capability to run an all inclusive government regardless of who voted for him in 2023 and who did not.
-WALE LAWAL
(08037209290)
