Ohanaeze Meets Wike Over Alleged Rigging Of Presidential Poll

Apex Igbo socio-cultural umbrella, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has confronted the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike for allegedly rigging the February 25 presidential election in his state against the Labour Party candidate, Mr Peter Obi.

The Ohanaeze delegation led by the vice-president (Abia State), Dr Kingsley Chidozie comprised several other officials of the organisation including the vice-president general (Delta State), Chief Emeka Ogwu; national publicity secretary, Dr Chiedozie Ogbonnia; Chief Ezechi Chukwu, PhD; president of Ohanaeze, Enugu State chapter, Prof Fred Eze;  president of Rivers State chapter, Mr Lucky Ekeji; president, Abia State chapter, Comrade Okey Nwankwo; president of Delta State chapter, Prince Nwandu and former speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Chibudom Nwuche.

According to the national publicity secretary, Dr Chiedozie Ogbonnia, the group met with Wike at the executive chambers of the Rivers State government house, Port-Harcourt on Thursday.

Before opening up to Wike on their mission, both Wike and his guests had observed a minute silence in honour of deceased Ohanaeze leaders, including the immediate past president-general, Amb George Obiozor and the late Joel Kroham, a former deputy president-general and later, president-general of Ohanaeze.

Spokesman of the delegation, Dr Peter Aneke told Wike that their mission was to confirm from him his “alleged roles against Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) during the presidential election which was held on February 25.

Aneke was said to have thanked Governor Wike over the cordial relationship between him and the Igbo community in Rivers State, but thereafter informed him that the “Igbo all over the world are aggrieved with him, especially as the alleged rigging operations are circulating on the internet.”

Aneke was said to have highlighted to Wike on the contiguity between the people of Southeast Nigeria and Rivers State and wondered “how an Ikwerre man will, in good conscience, work against the Igbo in a presidential race where the candidacy of Peter Obi was a low hanging fruit.”

Aneke informed Wike that “Ohanaeze Ndigbo considers it a duty to confront him over the alleged wide-spread electoral malpractices in Rivers State against our son, Peter Obi.”

He told the Rivers State governor that it is saddening that “Obi would win in the metropolitan Lagos, Abuja, and several other places in the North only to record so low in Rivers State.”

Aneke explained to Wike that the “delegation is on a fact-finding (mission) and that both the Igbo elders and youths are eager to know why he should go the extra mile to pull Obi down in Rivers State.”

The spokesman of the delegation expressed worries that the body of the late Professor Obiozor would have turned in the grave because of the alleged atrocities in Rivers State against Obi.