The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has endorsed the presidential aspiration of Transportation Minister, Rotimi Anaechi, as an Igbo aspiration, while lambasting Joe Igbokwe for villifying Igbo leaders with his support for Yoruba.
The pan Igbo socio-cultural group in a statement issued to journalists on Saturday and signed by its Secretary – General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, cautioned against the vilification of Igbo political leaders, noting that campaigns of calumny or casting aspersions on Igbo presidential hopefuls will not be condoned especially when it comes from another Igbo for the sole purpose of advancing the ambitions of a Yoruba presidency.
“Verbal diarrhea and vituperative predispositions of Joe Igbokwe against Chibuike Amaechi is an act of timidity and cowardice, Igbokwe’s unprovoked onslaught aimed at the Minister of Transport should be investigated as it’s organized rogue operations of political musketeers, as it is defamatory, calumnious and slanderous.
“For the records, Chibuike Amaechi is a registered member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the Rivers state chapter since 2000, as well as a bonafide member of Ime Obi (the apex decision making organ in Ohanaeze) based on his position as former Governor and current minister from Ikwerre, Igbo speaking area of Rivers state since 2015.
“Chibuike Amaechi is a bonafide Igbo man, and there is no reason why anyone would incite crisis just for cheap political goals, the issue raised on abandoned properties in Rivers state after Biafra war is a hoax and diversionary, as based on the facts before us, there is no record of any Ikwerre man or woman that benefited from the obnoxious policy and nobody should blackmail an Ikwerre man with the abandoned property saga.
“As far as we are concerned, Joe Igbokwe should have spoken out when Igbos we’re deported from Lagos in 2014, he should have denounced the threats for Igbo to jump into the lagoon in 2015 or when Igbo traders were threatened at Alaba International market, Amaechi is more Igbo than anyone who was silent when his kinsmen were forced into political slavery in Lagos state.
“We condole with Nigerians and President Buhari led Federal Government on the attack of the Abuja- Kaduna train. The politicized attacks on the train should be discouraged, as mischievous and disgruntled elements capitalize on the heinous activities of the enemies who attacked the train to discredit the efforts of the Federal Government through the Ministry of transport to ensure that there is an operational railway line across the country.
“We applaud the Minister of transport for his bravery and heroism exhibited in the line of duty to calm the nerves of families and friends who lost the lives of their beloved ones in the ill-fated Abuja – Kaduna train. Ndigbo is proud to announce that Chibuike Amaechi is one of the leading lights of the Igbo nation, we are wishing him and other Igbo presidential hopefuls successful primaries, we expect that no Igbo should be a clog in the wheel of progress,” the group said.
