Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Former Anambra State Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife has stated that prominent Igbo leaders who are not openly supporting Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi do so for a reason.
During an interview with Punch, Ezeife was asked why no prominent Igbo politician from either the All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had openly endorsed Obi.
Declaring his undivided support for the LP flag bearer’s candidacy, Ezeife believes this is because politicians do not want Nigerians to view Obi solely as an Igbo project.
He claimed that some politicians are planting unsavory thoughts in the minds of those in villages in order to persuade them that there is something wrong with Igbos, thus the silence from politicians of Igbo descent.
“They are not shy about coming out,” he says, “but, as you know, there are problems.” Some people, particularly in the North, do not understand the Igbo.
“Some politicians are instilling in the minds of village people the notion that the Igbo have something wrong with them.” So, if you don’t find Igbo ministers, senators, House of Representatives members, and so on proclaiming Peter Obi to be their man, it’s because they don’t want the rest of Nigeria to think of Peter Obi as an Igbo project. We don’t want the rest of the country to believe that Obi is the sole Igbo candidate. That is not it; however, if you want us to say it quickly, we will.
“We will say that our candidate is Peter Obi, and anyone who knows anything should join us in praying to God because God’s hand is on Peter Obi.” God’s hand is on the Nigerian youths who are teaching us how to rebuild Nigeria.”
