Igbo presidency: Don’t rely on Obasanjo’s support- Adimachukwu, Ohanaeze women leader

Chief (Mrs) Calista Nkiru Adimachukwu (Mmilioma), National Women Leader, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, speaks on Igbo presidency and the state of the nation. By Olalekan Bilesanmi Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has thrown his weight behind Igbo presidency. What do you have to say about that? Igbo President is possible in 2019 but not through APC or PDP. APC will like President Buhari to continue for second term and PDP has zoned the presidency to the North. The only chance for the Igbo is to form a formidable political party together with other notable Nigerians which will present an Igbo man as their presidential candidate. With hard work and good reason presented to other Nigerians, it will work. Nigerians are changing everyday by day with their thinking cap, and sure that ordinary Nigerians will not continue to support marginalisation. Obasanjo’s support for the Igbos is highly welcomed but for now you can see that he is no more in power to make it happen, it is left for the Igbos to work hard towards that direction. Lastly, the better option for all Nigerians is for Buhari to implement the 2014 National Conference recommendations for equitable Nigeria. Some Igbo called for support for Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) during his campaign and they said it was for the good of the Igbos. Do you think that the government of Buhari will benefit the Igbos? I am aware that some individuals in the South East called for Igbo support for Buhari prior to the 2015 elections. There was even a blame game against the Igbos for putting their eggs in one basket. It is too early to judge Buhari or know his mindset on Igbos, however time will tell. President Jonathan lost the election and Igbos feel bad but we lost nothing because we gained the brotherhood of the South South. When Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was alive, he visited the Alafin of Oyo and the Ooni of Ife to extend hand shake across the Niger. His action was misunderstood, but he explained that if there was an understanding between the South East and South West, it was the beginning of political wisdom. He also explained that the personalities he went to visit in the West were the greater authorities he had to meet to forge a political understanding. However after the Igbos had tried in the First Republic and other periods in the political history of Nigeria, they had a change of mind. The Igbos reasoned they had supported the North and the West in the past, and that partnership failed. The Igbos even reasoned that since Ojukwu’s idea of a handshake across the Niger did not work, a new political partnership was necessary. More recently, the South South, South East and South West Assembly was formed aimed at securing support from these zones for Jonathan and also in case an Igbo man decides to contest the presidential election in future. Meetings were held in Enugu, Asaba and some other places. Ekwueme, Chief ABC Nwosu, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife and a host of others attended some of the meetings. Also Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s call for support for Goodluck Jonathan was done after wide consultations from traditional rulers and important personalities. However we will still enter into political understanding with the Middle Belt and the North after wide discussions. Calista Nkiru Adimachukwu We will let everyone know the reasons while the South East will vie for president and expect wide support from other zones. Nevertheless, after we try all these things and they fail, the solution lies in the implementation of the report of the 2014 National Confab. If there is any Igbo personality that is begging for recognition and position from the government of Buhari, that person is insulting the Igbos. What we expect from those people is for them to tell Gen. Mohammadu Buhari point blank to implement the reports of the National Constitutional Conference of 2014. You have emphasized the report of the National Conference. Do you think it remains the solution to the agitations of the Igbos? Before the National Conference, slots were given to political parties. However APC did not send representatives and they made no contributions. All the geo-political zones sent delegates and appreciated that conference as well as saw its relevance. They finally came out with a masterpiece and powerful document on how Nigeria can live together peacefully. Till now, APC has said nothing about that constitutional conference and it remains suspicious. So if any person starts asking questions about the reasons the Igbos supported President Goodluck Jonathan, that person is not a student of history. Ndigbo supported Jonathan mainly because of that conference. Therefore any Igbo personality that meets Buhari should urge him to implement the report of the National Conference for equitable Nigeria. When the dust settles down, Ohanaeze Ndigbo will go and meet Buhari with a powerful delegation to discuss a way forward and also about the report of the National Conference. Do Igbos have any regret? Yes, the Igbos have three regrets. The first is the non-implementation of the Aburi Accord. The second is that the Igbos have not gotten any meaningful gain after their foremost contributions to Nigeria’s independence. The third regret is that the East and West delayed Nigeria’s independence for the North to meet up with the pace of independence. It was because of this that Whitehall imposed federalism on Nigeria. Sadly, our sacrifice is not appreciated. What are Ohanaeze Ndigbo doing on this ongoing IPOB crisis. (Struggle for Biafra)? First of all, I would like to draw you back to my interview in Vanguard newspaper on may 24, 2015 with the headline “Igbos case on National Conference report for Buhari” — Ohanaeze National Women Leader. Our regrets as a region in Nigeria”. I granted that interview before President Buhari was sworn in on may 29, 2015. My reason for granting that interview was for him to know the position of Ndigbo for equitable Union government. When he assumed office and started making appointments. He was supposed to treat all Nigerians fairly according to the oath of office he took, so when he started making lopsided appointments, sidetracking one of the major bloc that contributed more than any region in Nigeria to give Nigeria the fastest independence. That was what provoked the youths to agitate for Biafra, because they feel that they don’t have any future in one Nigeria. I am again pleading to Mr President as a mother to immediately start the process of implementing the 2014 national conference report for equitable Nigeria, where everyone would have a sense of belonging without fear or favour. I also use this opportunity to plead with Mr President to grant Nnamdi Kanu unconditional release because he has done nothing to warrant his continuous incarceration. I am urging Vanguard newspaper to republish my may 24,2015 interview for Nigerian’s perusal because it is still in tune with current reality. What do you think/comment on this Patience Jonathan’s issue with EFCC? I am not against President Buhari’s war against corruption through EFCC but first of all the war should be fought with sincerity in all ramifications. If left to me to advise, the president should start the anti-corruption crusade from members of his party to prove to the world that he is sincere in what he is doing, not only fighting the opposition. In my own humble opinion it is a clear cut agenda to bulldoze the opposition. As for Jonathan’s wife, I am not against the EFCC probing her but they should beam their search lights to former first ladies from Northern Nigeria extraction to prove to the world that they are not just out to fight Jonathan’s family who made sure that there was a peaceful transition to the present administration which was acclaimed world wide. What is your view on current recession under the watch of the APC leading government? When APC as a political party were campaigning to be voted into power, they knew very well that Nigeria economy had a problem, so they came up with the change agenda, that if voted into power they would restore the economy, that was the reason Nigerians voted for them. When they assumed office they started blame game and that blame game has continued till today, pretending they didn’t know there was a problem before they took office, instead of doing the needful of restoring the economy. Based on that, foreign investors started pulling out their money back to their country and that is why we are in this present recession. But all hope is not lost because Nigeria have potentials to be great again even more than before within 10 years. I could remember that after the Nagasaki and Hiroshima atomic bombing of second world War in Japan, they cut themselves out of the world for 20 years and looked inwardly on how to bounce back. Look at their economic position in the world affairs now. Nigeria’s case is a matter of 10 years, that is why I am pleading to Mr President to do the needful so that we can have the conducive environment to move the Nigeria economy forward. Your take on Yoruba supporting secret trial for Nnamdi Kanu? The Yoruba’s are intelligent people. I do not think that it is the collective decision of the Yoruba’s to back the secret trial of Nnamdi Kanu. So it is only the personal opinion of the individual saying it. What do you have to say concerning the capture of Sambisa forest by the Nigeria military? Our president Muhammadu Buhari should be congratulated for that. But the Federal Government has to do more to ensure that the Chibok girls are rescued and Shekau captured. On Ibori’s release from UK prison? What do you want me to say on that. The london court has released him, so he should enjoy his freedom. 2017 FG budget as it concerns Ndigbo? We have our representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives. It is their duty to scrutinize the budget and highlight if it is favourable to us or not. If it is not favourable to Igbos, it is also their duty to find a remedy. That is one of the reasons we voted them there.