Prof George Obiozor, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has broken his silence on the results of the primaries for the 2023 presidential election held by the ruling All Peoples Congress and the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party.
Remember that the South-East presidential aspirants in the two political parties lost in the primaries, and some did not vote, despite widespread support for the region to produce the next president based on equity, justice, and fairness, and in the spirit of a rotational presidency between the North and South.
While former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu of the South-West emerged as the APC presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the North-East emerged as the PDP presidential candidate.
However, in a statement titled "What does Nigeria want from Ndigbo?" made available through the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, Obiozor described the outcome of the two major parties' presidential primaries as a gross injustice against the Igbo that exceeded expectations.
The former Nigerian ambassador to the United States of America, said, “Now it is clear that the Nigerian national political elite has successfully orchestrated to deny the South-East an opportunity to produce the president of Nigeria come 2023.
Through this ruse, some Nigerian leaders have demonstrated gross historical injustice to Ndigbo, far exceeding our expectations."
Obiozor, who is recovering in a Dubai hospital, said Nigeria had failed the Rotary Club International's four-point test, which focuses on truth, fairness, goodwill, and benefit to all concerned.
While urging Ndigbo not to lament too much and to wait for history's verdict, the president-general expressed his belief that in the end, this political manoeuvring would result in "a Pyrrhic victory for those who rejoice and celebrate injustice."
He did, however, thank Nigerian statesmen and patriots across the country for their support of the idea of the South East producing the president of Nigeria in 2023, based on Nigeria's proven history of power rotation between the north and the south, as well as commitment to equity, justice, and fairness.
