Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, in this interview with Linus Aleke says the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, and other top politicians in Igboland were recruited by an unpopular presidential candidate to ridicule the Labour Party candidate, Mr Peter Obi in South-East. He also talks about the spike of insecurity in the region as well as the continued detention of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, by the Federal Government despite a court verdict to the contrary

What do you think is responsible for the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s outburst against the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi?

I believe we cannot over flog the issue of Soludo’s toxic treaty on Obi because it was earlier speculated and it is becoming a fact that an unpopular presidential candidate has recruited some governors and some top southeast politicians and their main job are to ridicule, blackmail and even insult the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, to portray that the South-East people or Ndigbo or their leaders are not in support of Peter Obi’s aspiration at home. So, the signal they are trying to send to Nigerians is that if Peter Obi is not accepted in the South-East, how then, can Nigerians of other ethnic nationalities vote for him on February 2023? Therefore, the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo fired the first salvo to know what it will be like, and we expect other treacherous politicians who were recruited, we know all of them, and we are expecting them to follow suit, but there will be consistencies and there will be sanctions. There would be some sort of punishment for those who want to scuttle the only chance the South-East has to occupy Aso Rock in 2023. Unfortunately, Soludo is doing this kind of thing to his brother and friend.

Do you foresee the current South-East governors mobilising support for Obi ahead of the 2023 elections as a mark of solidarity and brotherhood?

Let me tell you, the Obi presidency or presidential project is not an Igbo project, it is a Nigerian project because he is going to be the President of Nigeria if he wins eventually. Ndigbo alone cannot make Obi President of Nigeria. Let me tell you, the popularity of Obi across the length and breadth of this country has already threatened the positions of the southeast governors. Most of them are now been threatened because many of them want to go to the Senate and their elections are on the same day as that of the President with the popularity of Obi across the federation, it becomes a threat to them. So, the smart ones amongst them are already mobilizing for Obi covertly. I can tell you for free that they don’t have any choice but to mobilise for Obi if they want to go to the Senate. The southeast governors have no choice but to support Obi so, as to get the support of their constituents in return for their senatorial ambitions. So, the ones that are ranting and causing havoc are the ones that are not standing for election in 2023. But let me tell you, Prof. Soludo has buried his political future in the southeast. Soludo was trying to castigate Peter Obi out of envy and shock that a man who abandoned two major political parties and gone to an unknown party has become so popular and is now the toast of Nigerians, across ethnic and religious lines. There will be sanctions on him, Ohanaeze has already dragged him to two deities but the most important thing is that we would encourage his impeachment, once the state assembly found him to have breached the law. Ohanaeze will support the impeachment of Governor Soludo.

Soludo was very certain that Obi is going to lose the 2023 elections and that there was nothing that would make him win 25 per cent constitutional requirements in four states, let alone 23 states, do you share in his forecast?

Well, that is what we are saying, how is he so sure that a man who transformed the fortunes of Labour Party would not win the election? What was the basis for such an argument and prediction? Have you seen any northern governors insulting Atiku, let alone the governor of his home state Adamawa? Even when they know that Atiku will not win. Have you seen the Lagos State Governor attacking Tinubu? Even when he may not likely win the election based on his Muslim-Muslim ticket. The first thing would be, what moral right does Soludo have to criticize Peter Obi who is not of the same party as him? Peter Obi never attacked his government under any guise. There is no record of Obi mocking Governor Soludo’s infant administration. Or made any slanderous accusations against the government of Anambra State under Prof. Soludo. So, why such an internecine comment against Peter Obi? Why would he dismiss the chances of the two presidential candidates of Igbo origin who are from Anambra state? The Candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Umeadi is from Anambra state and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi is also from Anambra state. Why would he dismiss their chances of winning the election with a wave of the hand? If he was not recruited by the major parties that he openly campaigned for in that his infamous treaty. What Soludo did was anti-Igbo, to say the least. For him to say that the election is between the APC and PDP, is a clear indication that he had already been bought over to do the yeoman business. We know that Soludo and other governors who are not contesting the election have vice-presidential and presidential ambitions in 2031. All these things they are doing are to rubbish the opportunity of the South-East to clinch the presidency and shift the goal post to 2031- that is the reason. So, Soludo’s viewpoints or stance regarding 2023 without clinical analysis of the three contenders is premature, ridiculous, and fallacious. Moreover, Soludo’s public conduct demands condemnation and he owes Ndigbo and Peter Obi, an apology.

The killing in the South-East is daily increasing rather than abate, what in your opinion is responsible for this continued bloodletting in the zone?

It is very unfortunate, that there are increased killings in the South-East. In any case, most of the killings are politically motivated. But some are also, carried out by external mercenaries, the Fulani herdsmen in collaboration with some bad elements within. The southeast governors, as the chief security officers of the South-East, need to strengthen the security of the zone. They need to set up a joint security outfit, they should forget about Ebube Agu. There should be a strong security committee set up by the southeast governors as a matter of urgency, which shall be headed by retired military officers from the zone. We have the likes of the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ihejirika (retd.), and others like retired General Ike Nwachukwu (retd.), or even the former Inspector General of Police, IGP Onovo (retd.). We have a lot of people, so, all of them should come together at this point and find a way to nip in the bud the causes of insecurity in the South-East. This is the only way it can be dealt with squarely, if it is external mercenaries that are coming to perpetuate the killings, they should be fished out and dealt with. We saw what happened in Nsukka the other time, the Fulani had already invaded our territory and therefore, community policing should be encouraged. Local vigilantes should also be empowered to secure their communities because security is local. If the people decide to take care of themselves, the spike in insecurity in the region will naturally abate. The solutions to the problem are in the hands of the governors.

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Considering the high level of security threat across the federation, do you fear that the election may not hold in 2023?

Yes, it is possible. Imagine what will happen if there is increased tension, occasioned by a high level of insecurity as you rightly pointed out in your question. It has the capacity of halting the conduct of the election. It is only the living who votes and not the dead. Secondly, the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu may also trigger the disruption of the election in the southeast. If they declare a sit-at-home on election day because of Nnamdi Kanu, that is an automatic disruption of the election because nobody will go out to exercise his or her franchise on that day. It will trigger voter apathy in the South-East. INEC may not also find it easy to conduct elections in crisis-prone areas.

What do you think is responsible for the Federal Government’s refusal to release Nnamdi Kanu even after the court verdict that ordered his release unconditionally?
I expected the federal government to obey the court order. I expected the federal government to consider the tension of the continuous detention of Nnamdi Kanu. His continued detention by Federal Government has virtually crumbled the economic activities in the southeast because of the sit-at-home order. We felt that the release of Nnamdi Kanu will end the menace of unknown gunmen in the southeast but with Federal Government’s refusal to release him by appealing to the Supreme Court, it is unfortunate. But the federal government still has windows of opportunity to explore the option of a political solution. We don’t know the reason why the government is insisting on keeping him behind the bar for this long. Could it be that if he is released he will disrupt the election that cannot be because the Igbo leaders are ready to stand in as surety for him? The southeast governors are also ready to surety him. His release was the last wish of our revered elder statesman, the late Chief Mbazulike Amaechi. The Federal Government should honour the wish of the dead and release Nnamdi Kanu, he will abide by the conditions given to him. After all, he does not believe in the Nigerian project, so how can he then obstruct the Nigerian election? I know that there are fears in certain quarters that the best way to have a peaceful election is to continue to detain Nnamdi Kanu.

What is the position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo on the Federal Government’s refusal to release him?

Ohanaeze is ready to open a window of negotiation between Biafra agitators and the Federal Government. We believe that the Federal Government has been trying to reach out to those who took up arms against the Federal Government. The Boko Haram extremists in the north are being rehabilitated and reintegrated into society through a Federal Government programme code-named Operation Safe Corridor. If Federal Government can do this to northern terrorists, why not extend that to Biafran agitators as well? There should be dialogue, Federal Government should not shy away from dialogue, and it is the only tool that can guarantee lasting peace.

What is your view on the myriad of controversies trailing the APC presidential candidate, from certificate forgery to drug dealing and money laundering in the US?

It will be very injurious to the corporate existence of Nigeria that a man with all this baggage and questionable character should be allowed to contest the election. I think some people have gone to court to challenge some of these issues and we await the outcome.