Apex-Igbo socio-cultural umbrella, Ohanaeze Ndigb o has made it clear that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr. Peter Obi has been affirmed by it as a sole candidate of the Igbo nation in the 2023 general election.
National publicity secretary of the organisation, Dr. Chiedozie Ogbonnia disclosed this in response to a recent doubt by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) if the people of the South East, a region of predominantly Igbo nation have adopted Peter Obi as their adopted presidential candidate.
Spokesman of NEF, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed had on behalf of the organisation posed a poser “We (NEF) don’t know whether they ( people of South East) are in support of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party ( in 2023 general election) or not,” and, urged the people of the South East to “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”.
In a response to the NEF spokesman’s poser and advise, the Ohanaeze spokesman stated emphatically “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide led by ambassador professor George Obiozor reassures the Northern Elders Forum and indeed the whole Nigeria that the South East of Nigeria or better put, the Igbo are solidly behind our illustrious son, Mr. Peter Obi”.
He declared that Obi “represents the body and soul of Ndi Igbo in the 2023 general election”.
But the director of operations of the former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, presidential campaign council in Anambra state and chairman of the United African Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo speaking as a guest lecturer at the correspondents chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Anambra state council yesterday stated that Ohanaeze Ndigbo has not endorsed any candidate as a preferred presidential candidate for 2023 presidential poll.
He said, “I am not aware that Ohanaeze Ndigbo has endorsed any presidential candidate for 2023 general election.”
