We Support Obi Because ‘He’s The Best’- Ohanaeze Tells Northern Elders

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Wednesday, allayed the fear expressed by Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the spokesman of the Northern Elders’ Forum, over the strength of support Mr Peter Obi enjoys in the South East.

Obi is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election.

Recall that Baba-Ahmed had interrogated the support strength of Obi in his South-East zone. This followed the position of Prof Charles Soludo, governor of Anambra State, where Obi hails from. Soludo had said that Obi ‘won’t win the election’.

Against this background,
Baba-Ahmed recently asked: “We don’t know whether they (Igbos) are in support of Peter Obi. The nation can see what is happening now and if the South East fails to line up behind Obi, they should not blame anybody.

“They should reach out to other Nigerians and tell them they are supporting Obi not because he is an Igbo man but because he is the best.”

Ohanaeze, in a statement by Dr Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, its national publicity secretary, reaffirmed the support of Ndigbo for Obi.

According to the statement, “There is no gainsaying the distraction by the negligible minority-elite who by the aid of the social media have over exaggerated their self-worth, authority, power and political relevance.

“Instructively, the Christian religion informs that in every twelve, there must be a Judas. It is rather inconceivable to expect everybody to support Obi. What is important is that the Obi-Datti movement has gained the support of over ninety percent Igbo and continues to swell with time.”

Ohanaeze said its support for Obi is not because he is an Igbo man, but because he is the best.

Ogbonnia stated, “The Ohanaeze support to Obi is not because of his Igbonness. What goes for Obi today is the awesome quality service he rendered to his people as a governor; and of course, the dispositional humility, character comeliness and intellectual acumen that define his public conducts.”

Ohanaeze commended the Northern Elders’ Forum for being behind Obi, adding that, “What has remained the curse of the third world is in the choice we make at every occasion. While our ugly past has been defined by selfishness, greed, injustice, ethnic and religious sentiments, the enlightened Nigerian youths of today are more imaginative, proactive, creative, rational and cosmopolitan.

“The prevailing poverty and hardship do not recognize the boundaries of ethnicity and religion. Therefore, Nigeria is at a critical juncture with a choice between our characteristic vicious circle on one hand and the circle annotated with wealth creation and sustainable national development on the other.

“It is worth reiterating that the justice and equity the Igbo seek in Nigeria has found a providential expression in Obi. This is because, every Nigerian, big or small, young or old, knows that it is the turn of the South East to produce a president for Nigeria come 2023, going by the rotation and zoning principles that have been entrenched in Nigeria since 1999.

“And by all standards, Obi is a good commodity that defies bad market. As it stands, Obi represents the body and soul of the Igbo for the 2023 general election. We hereby urge Nigerians to ignore any contrary opinion from the South East as the usual distraction and thorns that trail the path to victory.”