By Obinna Akukwe
Pandemonium broke out at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Secretariat Enugu on Tuesday during the sharing of the huge sums of money givento the Igariwey led leadership of the body for endorsing Jonathan’ssecond term. Many persons who were at the endorsement venue smiled home with some tens and hundreds of thousands o fnaira and a few got some millions of naira. Some obviously greedy beneficiaries of the Ohanaeze national cake who felt short changed in the sharing formula had revealed to members of Ohanaeze Elders Council and other Igbo leaders in Nigeria and diaspora that Jonathan released N5billion naira and their leaders hid more than eighty percent of the money for themselves while releasing pittances to them.
This grumbling group within the Igariwey led Ohanaeze Ndigbo Executive claimed thatthose who cornered a lion share of what was given by Jonathan campaign group includesChief Emmanuel Iwunyanwu, Senator Hope Uzodimma, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya , Prof Goddy Uwazulikeamong others. They also fingered Chief Joe Nwaorgu and Chief O.A.U Onyema SecretaryGeneral and Deputy President General of Ohanaeze respectively, as those that gavethose pittances not commensurate with their status as leaders and youth leadersin the organization. These men are threatening to expose all the secret dealsfrom the secret Aso Villa meeting of January 12th to the events ofMonday night if they are not adequately compensated.
Some Ohanaeze State Chapter Presidents from 19 northernstates complained to the Director General of Igbo Mandate Congress (IMC), RevObinna Akuwe that they weredisenfranchised from the sharing process because they raised issues of securityof Igbos in the north. Their spokespersons, Zamfara and Jigawa States Chapter Presidents, claimed that they were disenfranchised in the sharingprocess and that only the FCT branch of Ohanaeze was given money.
The Presidentof Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Zamfara State, Evangelist Nmamdi Okeke while confirming thearrival of huge bags of money shared at the venue claimed that “we weredisenfranchised probably because we raised questions about the issue ofsecurity for Ndigbo in the north with sections of Ohanaeze leadership, includingpossible contingent plans to evacuate our people home in case of crisis. Ourviews probably did not get down well with some people” Evangelist Okeke vowed continuingto work with other Ohanaeze leaders especially in the north to ensure thatIgbos are not brutalized. He expressed gratitude to the Minister of Defense,General Aliyu Gusau (rtd) for his support to the Igbo community in the NorthWest.
Rev Igwesi Offodile, Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo JigawaState Chapter also told Rev Akukwe that “ the security of Ndigbo in the north before, during and after theelections is very important and if Ohanaeze cannot make adequate contingencyplans then it is very unfortunate”.
Chief Akunne Azikiwe, son of Nigeria’s first President and Owelle ofOnitsha, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe while speaking with Rev Akukwe on the subject mattersaid that “ collecting of billions form Jonathan without any negotiation is notgood for Ndigbo. Jonathan is our neighbor, we cannot abandon him but this issueof sharing money is not beneficial to our psyche, ”. On the calls for thepostponement of the elections, Akunne Azikiwe lent support positing that” verysoon the announcement postponing the polls will be made by six weeks or sowhich is a good development. This willgive Ndigbo and other tribes’ time to diffuse tension in Nigeria and return toissue based campaign”
Rev Akukwe was told by some leaders of Igbo Delegates Association(IDA) that they were given N20 million naira to be sharedamong the 19 Northern States and described as unfortunate the fate that befellOhanaeze State Chapters in the North who were still stranded in Enugu as atpress time. They believe that the 19 northern states failed to comply with thedirective to give Goodluck Jonathan maximum support; hence they weredisenfranchised from the sharing process. They described Igariwey as the first OhanaezePresident to receive money and share same to the grassroots in such proportion,pledging undying support for him.
The Chairman of Ohanaeze Elders council and first republictransport minister Chief Mbazulike Amechihad on Thursday told Rev Akukwe that those sharing money are not the real Ohanaeze. According to him, those sharing the money are “a group of illegalOhanaeze whose major purpose is to collect and share billions of naira withoutany negotiation over the fate of Ndigbo during and after the Jonathan era”.Chief Amaechi told the leaders of Igbo Mandate Congress that those that went toAbuja to meet with Jonathan are speaking for themselves and their family.According to him “The basic interest of those endorsing Jonathan is to collectmoney.
They were sharing millions and hundreds of thousands on Tuesday to somepersons and we the Elders Council of Ohanaeze are not a part of it. Somepersons even got their finger bitten off while some women got their dressestorn while struggling for the money from Abuja. That is not what Ohanaezestands for” Ohanaeze Elders
Council hadrejected the endorsement of President Jonathan and had asked Igbos to voteeither Buhari or Jonathan as their conscience permits them.Dr Zed Chukwujama, Secretary Ohanaeze Caretaker Committeeexpressed worry over the fate of Igbos in the north after the elections and toldRev Akukwe “that those who are sharing the millions are not thinking of how toprotect Igbo lives and property especially in the North”.
The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gari Igariweyin a press conference on Friday denied receiving N5billion naira to endorse Jonathan.Igariwey reportedly told newsmen that “Whatis happening in Ohanaeze is purely money. Certain persons want to negotiate onbehalf of Ndigbo for 2015 general elections not necessarily for Igbos interestbut solely for their selfish interest,” Igariwey described the insinuationsthat Jonathan gave them N5 billion naira as baseless and while asking Igbos to vote the incumbent positedthat it is only Jonathan that willimplement the National Conference Report. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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I trust my people... the can always sell their glorious destiny for a little red porridge
ReplyDeleteShameless ndigbos u ar a disgrace 2 d entire igbo pple, we will not pdp and jonathan bcos igbos ar too big 2 sell deir vote. stupid pple
ReplyDeletendigbo wat about d development in d SE? is dat 5b in place of dat?
ReplyDeleteU can all see our God giving leader what he is doing to Nigerians in Nigeria , he announced yesterday boasting that he was the first Nigerian president under his watch that 5400 jobs where created and this is an insult upon injury to Nigeria as a nation and only a senseless man in his position will make such statement .
ReplyDeleteMore than 20m youth don't know what to do with there lives because of less directions and incompetency that our government have exercised over the time, now under his watch PVC's are been sold for N10,000 and he is shearing money to the groups that endorsed him instead of doing the work that he should as a president because he don't know what to do with the excess cash around him so his party members are helping him to shear it around, some of his blind supporters will say that this news is a lie from APC .
But I will only say this keep fooling Ur selves ,
now Doyin Okupe this morning said that all our decision to have a change in Nigeria through the social media is nothing but a political Masturbation ,
but at the end we will all know who is the political masturbator him self.
Igbo kwenu..... na wah for these my ibo brothers, they can sell their birthright for money. That's why other tribes in Nigeria will always rubbish them.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in our national life, when other tribes/regions are throwing up serious issues for consideration, the only criterion most important to the Igbo nation to secure their endorsement is m o n e y. To them, money is everything. How wrong you are. I pity you people.
I definitely knew those people who parade themselves as leaders have sold their conscience for pot of porridge. They definitely do not want to see development of this country. No right thinking person will support clueless government. My fellow Igbos we must not sell our destiny for porridge. For ones let's redeem our dignity by not following saboteurs who call themselves leaders. Vote for a better country because it is ours.
ReplyDeleteWhat Doyin Okupe is saying is that social media does not matter in Nigeria because most voters are illiterate and presumably ignorant. He is counting on the illiterate votes since the illiterates don't know any better. he thinks that with a cup of rice they will all vote for the money bag called Jonathan. We have the responsibility to prove him wrong.
ReplyDeleteHe should realise that a lot of people who use social media also have the so-called illiterate people under the cycle of their influence through interactions with them at their own levels. With all due respect, Dr. Okupe, please do not be deceived. Thank you.
DeleteIt is this type of corrupt and inept leadership that is the greatest problem of Nigeria. Change is now an absolute necessity. Otherwise, this country is finished. Shame to these so called Ndigbo leaders and shame to Jonathan who claims to be a Christian. Is this a Christian conduct? May God forgive our politicians in Jesus name!
ReplyDeleteIgbo we are more Dan dis don't allow gje sell our birt rite like ESO n d bibble oh vot GMB atlest he have not brib us
ReplyDeleteWe have not been reading comments from EL-MATOSKY for sometime now, or has he gone underground? He should come out hiding from his hideout in Lagos and face the consequences of his irrational comments all these while.
ReplyDeleteSHAMELESS IGBO ELDERS WHO DON'T REALIZE THAT WE THE IGBO YOUTHS ARE WISER NOW! ALL RIGHT THINKING IGBO YOUTHS SHOULD VOTE BUHARI TO DISGRACE THE SO CALLED IGBO LEADERS WHO HAVE SOLD THEIR HEARTS AND SOUL TO MONEY! WE REFUSE TO BE BOUGHT OVER BY THE LAZY JONATHAN WHO COULD NOT GIVE ANYTHING TO THE SOUTH EAST IN 6 WASTED YEARS OF HIS ILL-FATED PRESIDENCY! VOTE BUHARI; VOTE APC; VOTE POSITIVE CHANGE FOR A PROGRESSIVE NIGERIA WHERE CORRUPTION WOULD BE ABHORRED AND GREEDY MEN LIKE IWUANYANWU AND CO PAY FOR THEIR EVIL DEEDS!
ReplyDeleteIf that 5B will be shared among unemployed youths, 1 million youths will receive 5000 each, only God knows how many groups got 5billion each, our money, Nigerians money, been used for partisan politics, General Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) pls give us space, Goodluck Muhammad Buhari (GMB) na him we want *winks*
ReplyDeleteI dnt knw why we bother so much about nothing. Let those dat can be bought by money go & vote GEJ. Igbo pple have never seen Ohanaeze as their mouthpiece. On dat day u ll not see d children of Iwuanyanwu & co at d polling booths . The Igbo nation is governed by the Ojiofors & Okparas. Ohanaeze is simply socio cultural, not political. So Ohanaeze can't tell me who to vote for or not. Those guys never meant well for the Igbo nation. Bunch of criminals and scoundrels. Those days are gone. Neva again.
ReplyDeleteCHIMA....
This act is an eternal disgrace to the Ndigbos. You have sold your birthright. I am so ashamed of you. If GEJ has been doing well, will he be making this frantic effort to buy the hearts and souls of people with his corruptly acquired wealth that he is now using to buy votes. God will help us to end corruption in Nigeria. Vote for GMB! Vote for integrity!! Vote for justice and equity!!!
ReplyDelete