‘No going back on Igbo presidency’

Okonkwo

 

The President of Committee 21 (C21), Southeast’s non-political organisation, which was established to push the Igbo agenda, Senator Annie Okonkwo, has said the Igbo would settle for nothing less than the presidency in 2015. 

The Senator who spoke with The Nation in Lagos  noted that the purported moves by some prominent Igbo politicians to adopt  President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 poll was against the overall interest of the Igbo people.    

He said: “The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has already made it clear that it will present a candidate for the 2015 election. The chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, expressed this in strong terms. If the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) decides to adopt Jonathan, let it be; that is a party affair, but as for the people of the Southeast, we are determined to push for Igbo presidency.”

The Senator said that despite  moves by some divisive element in the actualisation of the Igbo agenda, it will come up stronger because the people are behind the dream. “The C21, market women, Okada riders, elders, all religious groups and every Igbo man are involved in this struggle and they are all connected to C21. And the membership of C21 cuts across political lines and our objectives are very clear.”  

Reacting to Governor Peter Obi’s alleged support for Dr. Jonathan, Okonkwo said Obi was merely playing his role as governor and did not express the stance of the Southeast: “With due respect, he is a governor and he, as an individual, has his own views. The way it is today, everything is decided by the party; he is not in control of the party, he is not in the party machinery and of course he is not in control of any organisation that he will speak for the Igbo. He is just there in that capacity as the governor. And of course, if he decides to go and support Jonathan, that his is own wish.” 

Explaining further, he said as governor of a state with his function and responsibilities, he was playing his role. “That he is the governor does not mean that he will forge the path for the Igbo people. He is not the chairman of a political party which should put him in the position of speaking for the party. The chairman of APGA has made it very clear that the Igbo would field a candidate for the 2015 election. APGA has been adopted as a political party for all the Igbo.”

The former senator who was until recently a member of PDP maintained that APGA was capable of coming up with credible candidates who can conveniently run the affairs of the country in presidential capacity. “We have credible candidates and people with high integrity who are interested in occupying the number-one position. And as far as we are concerned in respect of the presidency, the Igbo people are still consulting in respect of the kind of candidate we are going to present. The candidate we will present will be acceptable by Nigerians,” he said. 

Though APGA has its stronghold in the east, this, according to the senator, is not a major threat; rather, it would throw up new friendship through alliances with those who share Igbo agenda. He said: “As far as I am concerned there are going to be some alliances, and of course the Igbo are everywhere. They are spread all over the country; it is the only tribe that is fully spread everywhere. They are well numbered in Kano, Kaduna and other parts of the country. But still, I believe there are going to be alliances with people who share the same vision with us.” 

Given previous alliances which have always offered the Southeast the position of Vice President or other lesser position, the senator stressed that it was not going to be business as usual because 2015 is a project that all the kith and kin of Igbo stock are committed to. 

Okonkwo said further: “As far as I am concerned today, the Igbo have made it clearl they will not play second fiddle. The truth of the matter is that today, we are nowhere; we are not even the second or third. The truth of the matter is that whatever anybody is telling you, we want to make our position very clearly to demonstrate that we have the capacity and we are united for this purpose.” 

Drawing from the spread advantage of the Igbo who are  resident in every community in Nigeria, he said that would give it a lead to make the Presidency aspiration realistic. “Despite this advantage, the position we have found ourselves is not right, but we are going to correct this.” 

President Jonathan who recently commissioned some projects in the Southeast and promised to complete the Second Niger Bridge was applauded for paying attention to the infrastructural development of the zone. 

Though it was said this would ensure support for the president’s bid, according to the senator, this will not make them change their position: “That is democracy; do for the east what is due for them. The east has been neglected for quite long. Even if the president goes beyond what government is supposed to do, that does not change our mind. We are set to achieve what we want to achieve, even if he puts all the gold and how are we sure this will not go like one of those promises others had made in the past?

“Many presidents have come to make promises. They had come with promises of sea port and other projects, but the moment they realise their ambition, the Igbo are neglected. This time around, we are not going to fall for those white elephant projects and empty promises. I do remember the talk about sea port which has been on right from the Shehu Shagari regime. The roads are in terrible condition, so we want to see a practical development.”