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Obasanjo in S’East, meets with Ohanaeze *Middle Belt insists on Obi
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday, stormed the headquarters of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex decision-making body of Ndigbo in what has been interpreted as another move to up the ante on his support for an Igbo man to replace President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
The former President, who currently holds the record of the longest ruling Nigerian leader with 11 and half years – three and half years as military Head of State and eight years as civilian President – is said to be one of the major backers of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
Obi was also at the meeting of the office of the Government Reserved Area (GRA), in Enugu, alongside Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere leader, who has been at the centre of the Obi campaign and made a cameo appearance at the Ibadan edition of the LP candidate’s campaign.
Obi, who shared pictured of the visit, said they signed the condolence register of the late Mbazulike Amaechi, former Minister of Aviation and the last of the Zikist Movement, who died on November 1, displayed at the Ohanaeze Secretariat.
“I joined President Obasanjo and Pa Ayo Adebanjo at the Ohaneze Headquarters in Enugu to sign the condolence register for late Chief Mbazulike Amaechi. The team was received by Chief Ogene Okeke,” Obi wrote in a post on Twitter.
It comes as President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Bitrus Pogu, who was also in the state on Sunday, was quoted as saying that the North Central zone of the country remained committed to supporting a President of South East extraction for the purpose of fairness, equity and justice.
In Enugu at a colloquium held as part of the 70th birthday celebration of the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nnia Nwodo, also graced by Obasanjo who was its chairman, Adebanjo and Obi, praised Nwodo over his role in the emergence of Obi as presidential candidate from the South East, noting that hopefully, the LP candidate would emerge as the next President of Nigeria by 2023.
His words: “We have said it again and again that Interest of equity, fairness and justice, the president should come from the south, particularly, the Southeast” he said. In the middle Belt, we are with Obi for a better Nigeria.
“When Obi emerges, Nwodo will stand by him as one of the persons who played a major role in presenting him to us.”
At Mass held at St. Mulumba Catholic Parish, New Haven, Enugu and the reception/colloquium that followed afterwards at the Amadeo Events Centre, also paraded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, former governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, Secretary General of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Igali.
Obasanjo said that the former Ohanaeze leader deserved to be celebrated for the “great contribution” he made for the growth of his community, zone and Nigeria in general, adding that it was not just enough for one to attain long years of age but to make useful impact on the society.
“What matters is your ability to contribute in making things better than you met them,” the former President, who came in Ishiagu, the Igbo national dress and red cap to match, said.
Many speakers, who paid tribute to Nwodo for attaining three scores and 10, highlighted his selflessness, consistence advocacy for a better Nigeria where every section is treated equally without discrimination.
In his homily, the Catholic Bishop of Awgu Diocese, Most Rev Godfrey Okoye decried the attitude of political leaders the insecurity situation in many parts of the country.
He said that that Christians in Igboeze North and Igboeze South local governments could not go to their churches to worship on Sunday due to the current insecurity problem in the areas.
Bishop Okoye said that those in position of authority all profess one faith or the other but they don’t usually practice what their religion teaches them hence their unsavoury attitude to insecurity.
“All these wars, fighting, and general insecurity only serve the interests of a few (political leaders),” he said, adding that genuine leaders should be concerned about what led the country to the downward road of insecurity and then make efforts to pull the brake.
At the reception a book titled ‘Dr. John Nnia Nwodo: Great Speeches, compiled and edited by a veteran journalist, Mr. Ike Abonyi, was launched.
The book, according to the reviewer, Dr Godknows Boladi Igali presented Nwodo as a voice crying out for a better Nigeria thst works for all and where peace and justice reign.
Hours after Mohammed Hayatu-Deen did, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday, also flatly rejected the outcome of the presidential primaries, of the African Democratic Congress, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice.
Amaechi former Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, described the announced results as “concocted,” insisting that the process failed to meet the standards of transparency and fairness earlier promised by the party.
He said in a statement: “I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi stated.
He said he had previously maintained that he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent, stressing that the exercise did not reflect the democratic values the ADC claimed to represent.
“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold, to rescue Nigerians from the impunity and gross mismanagement that our country is currently facing in the hands of the ruling party,” he said.
Amaechi alleged that a significant number of party members were denied the opportunity to vote during the exercise.
“There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” he stated.
The former Rivers State governor questioned the moral basis of the ADC criticising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged electoral malpractice while allegedly engaging in similar conduct internally.
“A party that criticizes the ruling APC and INEC for vote buying, rigging and writing of results, cannot be engaged in vote buying, writing of results, and other electoral malpractices that leads to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable!” he declared.
Amaechi said the ADC was envisioned as a platform to amplify the voices of ordinary Nigerians and provide credible political alternatives irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social background.
His rejection of the outcome is expected to deepen tensions within the opposition party following the conclusion of its presidential primary election.
“These timeless virtues of devotion, selflessness, and submission to divine will are values our nation desperately needs today,” were the exact words with which Godswill Akpabio, attempted to rouse Nigerians to the ethos of unquestionable faith and service to the country.
Akpabio, Chairman of the National Assembly, who drew example from Prophet Ibrahim, admonished Nigerians to emulate his unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
The Senate President, who conveyed his sentiments via a statement by Eseme Eyiboh, also used the specifically hail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Kashim Shettima and Muslim faithful in Nigeria and around the world as they celebrate Eid El Kabir.
Stressing that the occasion called for prayer and sober reflection on the theme of sacrifice, he added: “This sacred occasion reminds us of Prophet Ibrahim’s unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
“To our dear President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima and Muslim brothers and sisters, I felicitate with them on behalf of my family, constituents and the Senate on this blessed Eid. May the lessons of sacrifice, compassion, and generosity that define this season strengthen your faith and bring peace to your homes.
“As you share with the less privileged and extend love to neighbours of all faiths, you embody the true spirit of Nigeria. To all Nigerians, I urge us to use this solemn period to pray fervently for peace, security, and prosperity in our land. Let us pray for our troops in the frontlines, for farmers to return safely to their fields, and for unity to prevail over division in our Nation.
“Eid El Kabir also calls us to deep reflection on the future of our country. Just as Prophet Ibrahim was tested, Nigeria is in a season of testing. The sacrifices we make today in patience, in tolerance and in choosing hope over despair will determine the Nigeria our children inherit.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration, supported by the National Assembly, is anchored on that same principle: that meaningful progress often requires collective sacrifice.
“May Almighty Allah accept your prayers and sacrifices. May He heal our land, guide our leaders, and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Barka da Sallah. Eid Mubarak.”
“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”
These were the exact words of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, one of the presidential aspirants of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with which he cast a slur on the ongoing presidential primaries of the party, hinging his position on reports of fraud trailing the exercise.
Hayatu-Deen, a second timer in the search for the nation’s number one job, ran against Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation.
In a statement on his assessment of the exercise which began on Monday, the renowned economist Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), used his X platform to convey his dissatisfaction with the process.
The ADC which said the collation for the exercise would take place in Abuja had urged aspirants, party leaders, delegates, and members to conduct themselves peacefully and uphold party unity.
Bolaji Abdullahi, its spokesman, who described the exercise as a defining moment for both the ADC and Nigerians seeking a credible political alternative, maintained that it remained committed to internal democracy and a transparent leadership selection process.
“The ADC remains proud to stand today as the only truly democratic party in Nigeria because it is the only political party whose choice of presidential candidate is determined through open primaries,” he said adding that the conduct of aspirants and party members during the exercise would reflect the leadership culture the ADC seeks to promote.
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