The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has responded angrily to a recent comment by Doyin Okupe, a former aide to Ex-Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
Okupe had in a series of tweets on Saturday, claimed that the North are yet to forgive the Igbo over the incidences of 1966 of which one of the high points was the killing of Sardauna of Sokoto.
“A national consensus for Igbo Presidency cannot evolve until the core north forgives the Igbos for the killing of Sardauna of Sokoto by nigerian soldiers of igbo extraction in the 1966 Coup.
“If this consensus emerges, in the interest of equity, fairness & national unity, I will shelve my ambition & support whoever is chosen as a candidate by my party.
“However, in the event that this national consensus is not achievabe, I WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2023 by God’s Grace.
“This is the political Knot only the Igbo leaders must spearhead and with the support of other well meaning Nigerians, resolve with a high level of humility and political dexterity,” he wrote.
Although he has apologized over the outburst, Ohanaeze gave him heavy knocks on Sunday.
President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, in a statement made available to DAILY POST, said “there is every indication that Doyin Okupe needs urgent medical attention. His action is not far from a person that is mentally deranged.
“He is being tormented by Aso Rock spirit and needs both orthodox treatment and spiritual deliverance.”
Okwu added that the former media aide was being used by some politicians to advance their 2023 presidential ambition against the interest of Ndigbo and Nigerians in general.
“We have it good authority that Okupe was found as a willing tool by some desperate politicians who are doing everything to stop an Igbo man fr becoming President of Nigeria.
“They saw in him an unsound mind and capitalized on it to insult the sensibilities of Ndigbo. We advise his family to help him before his condition deteriorates. He is having issues with his mental capacity.
“Only someone that is mentally deranged will come up at this point in history to claim that the said coup was an Igbo coup, even when the evidences are there that other parts of the country were indeed part of that exercise.
“We must make it clear that no matter the antics anyone may play up, Igbo presidency is non negotiable and we are not going to be cajoled into giving up on that. Anything to the contrary will mean that the Igbo have been asked to leave Nigeria.
“A million mad people like Doyin Okupe will not stop Ndigbo. He should go and face his case before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He is apparently playing this boyish game to earn a soft landing but all these antics had fallen like pack of cards.”
