Chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Ralph Obioha, has scolded Dele Alake, spokesman of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), over his comments on matters concerning the pro-democracy outfit, urging him to stick to what he knows or get some education before going public.
Obioha, who was one of the arrowheads of the pro-democracy group, which was formed to push for the restoration of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Nigerian billionaire business mogul, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, was reacting to Alake’s statement on the campaign being carried out in the US by NADECO over the 2023 presidential election in which Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared the winner.
He said Alake’s statement, of March 9, entitled: Public Alert On Nefarious
Agenda Of Nadeco Impostor, Lloyd Ukwu In The United States Of America, which he described as diatribe, founded on ignoble intentions, was fraught with errors of facts, one of which was that Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka was a member of NADECO.
Obioha, in his own statement, which he signed as former Head of NADECO in North America, wrote: “In my capacity as a NADECO chieftain and it’s former Head in North America, and having read this diatribe by Dele Alake and being aware of the ignoble intentions behind it, below therefore is my considered response to it.
1, First, Prof Wole Soyinka was never a member of NADECO. At the time, he had contemporaneously formed his own group which he called NALCO and which, according to him, was aimed at forming a Nigerian Government in Exile. Soyinka’s role in NADECO was limited to occasional collaborations because NADECO saw him as someone who was generally pursuing goals somewhat similar to that of NADECO.
“2, Attorney Lloyd Ukwu (the person disparaged by Dele Alake in his Press Statement) was a major pillar in the NADECO struggle, especially in the American continents, comprising of the United States, Canada and some South American countries. When NADECO had no kobo, Dr Ukwu sponsored three air tickets to Ottawa, Canada, one to Haiti and funded costly outreaches to many countries, including Taiwan.
“3, Initially, Dr Ukwu donated a befitting office space for NADECO in the prestigious Georgetown area of Washington DC, USA and he went on to later secure an exclusive-use office for NADECO directly opposite the headquarters of the FBI. This was deliberately done to ensure that NADECO and its principal officers like my humble self are completely protected by our proximity to the seat of United States apex security agency.
“4, This Dele Aleke is a johnny-come-lately who does not have any factual knowledge of what he is talking about in the said Press Statement. He cleverly but clumsily avoided talking about me, even as it is in the public domain that I was the head of NADECO USA and Canada. He did not even have the basic decency of mentioning Chief John Oyegun who, who like Lloyd Ukwu, played a diverse mix of pivotal roles.
“5, In the same vein, this Dele Alake minimised the major roles of our heroes past, such as Chief Anthony Enahoro, Rear Admiral Ndubisi Kanu, Air Commodore Dan Sulueman, Chief Ralph Uwaechie, etc. Needless mentioning the names of high foreign officials who went beyond the call of duty to carry our burden for us and, through NADECO, helped us restore democracy in Nigeria.
“6, For the record and because Alake was indirectly playing the ethnic card, let me state that Dr Lloyd Ukwu is married to a Yoruba lady by name of Remi, a prominent pharmacist in the United States. His children are therefore half-Yoruba. It is a gross injustice to the contributions of Ukwu to our noble struggle to enthrone civil rule in Nigeria to suggest that he or NADECO, as presently constituted are working for Peter Obi. For the record, we worked for and are still working for enthronement of true democracy in Nigeria based on the popular will of Nigerians, as expressed through free and fair elections.
“7, In conclusion, let it be clear that Attorney Lloyd Ukwu is legitimate; his NADECO activities and credentials are legitimate; and he has the inalienable right to hold his political opinion, especially when geared to helping our democracy to flourish through a credible electoral process. We indeed need more activists like him.”