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Adetutu Sobowale
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide has urged stakeholders to unite as one before talking of attaining any certain position in the forthcoming election.
The Director General Strategic Planning and Implementations, Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide, AMB. TONY CHIEMELU OBIZOBA disclosed this on Friday in a press statement.
Obizoba stated that if they need any position, they should build bridges and consult widely within the various divides, not asking anybody that has declared interest to drop his interest and wait for Ndi Igbo to come and present its candidate.
He said, “We urge our people that if we must have a stake in the project called Nigeria, then we have to begin to build bridges with immediate effect. We have to build a wider consultation from the stakeholders of Ndigbo.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is urging all stakeholders to unite as one, dialogue and consult widely with the North and West to be able to establish their presence and cordial relationship before talking of attaining any certain position.”
“Conscious of the fact that this statement being our first in 2022, we have risen to be specific this year by announcing to Nigerians home and abroad that it will no longer be tolerated that some people would issue statements or make comments and attribute them to Ohanaeze Ndigbo without the Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide endorsing them.
“Those comments cannot stand and so should be disregarded because those issuing them in the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo are not legitimate body to speak for or direct the affairs of Igbo people.
“Having been through the many discripancies resulting from the cacophony of voices and which has had adverse effect on the fortunes of the race, we are hereby making it clear to Nigerians and constituted authorities in the country to know that the only legitimate body that can speak on behalf of Ndi Igbo in terms of matters of importance is the Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide being the one registered by Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and so recognised by law to do so.
“We also must seize this opportunity to dissociate ourselves at Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide from those divisive comments such as threatening the sovereignty of Nigeria, other tribes and regions should Igbo not get what in the project called Nigeria in time they are specifying, mainly 2023 elections.
“So, we are not going to play along with the other group of people calling themselves Ohanaeze Ndigbo and who are asking those that have declared interest to run for presidential seat to drop their ambition.
“From the foregoing, we notice that people are battling from all angles to hijack this Ohanaeze Ndigbo for their own selfish interests and this is happening especially from the illegitimate groups and some of the few governors trying to outshine the legitimate body that is Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide.
“We will, however, not allow them to do so, whoever intends to do business with Igbo should know that, transacting with illegitimate such groups means being on one’s own.
“As for us, we will continue to urge our leaders to build bridges and consult widely with the various divides to be able to discuss, if actually we want this project Nigeria to succeed.
“This is because, you cannot talk of Nigeria project and then you say you don’t want to talk to the North or the West. It means you are just talking to yourselves, it is not done. A paradigm shift now is a must.” the statement reads.
