Tobi Adebayo
Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has cautioned politicians to stop fighting dirty over the 2023 presidential tickets of political parties.
In a statement released by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, on Monday, Ohanaeze warned that the All Progressives Congress(APC) must not “exclude presidential hopefuls from the South-East” from the 2023 presidential ticket.
“It appears that after President Mohammadu Buhari signed the electoral bill into law, the gates of Hell are let loose and tension and anxiety have enveloped all the beneficiaries and sponsors of electoral frauds and manipulation in the past. Now, they have resorted to fake news and confusing all the political parties.
“Our suspicion has been reinforced by the antics of exponents of dirty politics, through their recent news flying in the social media, which is one of the numerous strategies, craftily designed by desperate politicians to destroy the ruling party and pitch the various southerners against each other.
“They want to confuse and put the ruling party in disarray ahead of APC convention and subsequent primaries and General Elections.
“We have reached out to appropriate authorities in APC over the reported micro zoning of APC presidential ticket to a particular zone (Southwest) and also the similar news that President Buhari had sacked the Buni led APC caretaker committee.
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“Since APC has cleared the air on Buhari sacking Buni described it as fake news, they need to clear the air on the zoning of the Presidential ticket to the southwest.
“All Igbo Presidential hopefuls from the seven Igbo speaking states, are still in the race for the APC Presidential ticket and Ohanaeze outreach committee on 2023 Igbo presidency project will pick presidential forms for all intending Igbo presidential hopefuls whether in PDP or APC, from the seven Igbo speaking states including Anioma in Delta and Rivers”.
“We call on southwest Presidential aspirants to play by the rules, except if they have chosen to play dirty. We are happy that Afenifere had endorsed 2023 for Ndigbo, likewise, the Pan Niger/Delta organization.
“Exclusion of Igbo from the 2023 presidential election through the extraordinary anti-Democratic techniques and tactics in APC Presidential primaries is an open invitation for chaos, anarchy, and violence, with the high level of insecurity and insurgency in the country.
“Denial of Igbo Presidency in 2023 will sink Nigeria and her potentials, a country which Igbos has built since 1960 independence as such denial of Igbo, will be an ill wind that will blow nobody any good,” the statement read.
