I am appealing to Brother chuba not to take our free for all debate as an attack, This is what the Igbo independent mind is all about. We respect our leaders but we don't worship them like other Nigeria ethnic groups.

Brother Ukaoha I think Your list was very rich, however my best on that list are Dr Ekwueme and Dr Pat Utomi. More over Pat Utomi because of Ekwueme's age and the 1999 debacle in Jos. Anyaoku I am still not sold on him as a true Igbo champion because he didn't stand up to be counted during the time Igbos were in need. He Joined Ukpabia Asika to dine with the enemy. For that I will put him in the same category with Ike Nwachukwu, as those who have to atone for their anti Igbo before we can support them.

Yes, to the topic. Emeka Anyaoku has stated that he is not interested in political office, thus he is out of the picture.

Alex Ekwueme may be the right guy, but I have my fears that the wounds of 1998 are still fresh as to affect his zeal for the presidency come 2003.

John Nnia Nwodo comes from a political family, he is oratorical and held office under Shagari. Apart from these, what other credentials? Is John of the reactionary mold or progressive? Personally, I think he is a conservative. Such a mien is not suitable to address the current I(g)bo predicament.

Pat Utomi, I know he is brilliant and articulate, has cut a niche for himself in the business world. Can he synthesise business with politics? That is what should direct our further thoughts on this man. Again, is he interested in the presidency?

You see that there are a plethora of issues to be tackled. Certain laid down criteria must be clearly spelt out before we can co-opt any I(g)bo for the highest office. One clear criterion though must be an avowed interest in ONE Nigeria, otherwise no show. I agree with you that as we progress, some other names will emerge.

Thanks brother yes Pat Utomi may be indeed the dark horse on this list. Like you said at least he has the Economic background that can turn Nigerian Economy from that of comsumption to that of production. However as much as I agree that any of this candidate has to support one Nigeria. However a support of one Nigeria without restructuring of Nigeria may earn him support from the North But it could cost them support in the South.

Yes the Irish speak Gaelic and some Jews Yiddish, but the English speak english, the French speak French likewise the Germans speak German.The important thing here is every one of these group chose to be and speak whatever they speak, that is not the case with Ibo and Igbo.

The absence of the alphabet GB in english led to Ibo (after Hibou and Iboe had been tried).Today some outsiders say the Ibo's are different from the Igbo's and this tool has been very effective in the continued division of the people, hence my assertion that the people are the same.You cannot have Ibo for the Deltans and Igbo for the easterners without creating division, so let's revert to the original thing.This is just my thinking and by no means binding.

You say you speak Ika and write Ika, let me remind you that the written Igbo of today came from the translation of the bible into the Bonny version of Igbo, hence for an Igbo of Abakalilki origin the written Igbo ( at least bible version) is as foreign to him as it is to you from the Ika area.Go up to Nsukka and it even get's worse, yet we must continue to cummunicate in Igbo somehow.

Nobody is shoving anything down anybody's throat and definitely no Igbo is superior to the other, but I believe in identification.I will never support coercion of any type as Nigeria has shown that it does not work.

His words "Just before anybody starts getting any ideas, I must state here that I do not have any relationship with Mr. Odirri. Although I am from Delta state, I am from the Igbo speaking part while Mr. Odirri is an Urhobo. "

The Plight of Odirri
By Chuck O. Egbune, Esq.

March 23, 2001
It is very imperative that we all recognize as Martin Luther King once said that "Injustice any where is a threat to justice everywhere."
Nigeria is littered with injustice from incessant police brutality to blatant abuse of power. The government might have changed but the same brute force is being applied against Nigerians. For the Nigerian Police, it is business as usual. They still engage in extra judicial killings and even killing the innocent and then labeling them armed robbers so much so that Justice Oputa recently decried the blood tasty Nigeria police.
You might have read the debacle or preferably the massacre of innocent students of the University of Lagos by these animals in "uniform of brutality" as the late reggae legend Bob Marley would call the Nigerian police if he had met them. Nigerians are under siege and the earlier those of us in diaspora did something the better. It is quite pertinent to mention here that "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
At this moment, there is a travesty of justice that is going on in Delta state that I would like to bring to the attention of Nigerians. One Mr. Odirri, a lawyer in Lagos was engaged in a war of words with the Governor of Delta state and he said something (which I don't remember now) but whatever he said does not justify what is happening now. The governor did not take kindly to what he said.
First the governor's lawyer threatened to sue Mr. Odirri if he did not retract what he said. Then when Mr. Odirri failed to retract, the governor sent policemen from Asaba to Lagos and abducted Mr. Odirri and brought him to Asaba where he is currently being held incommunicado without bail. The governor and his cohorts charged Mr. Odirri with sedition.
Just before anybody starts getting any ideas, I must state here that I do not have any relationship with Mr. Odirri. Although I am from Delta state, I am from the Igbo speaking part while Mr. Odirri is an Urhobo. I have never met Mr. Odirri and I am not his errand boy. However, what is happening to Mr. Odirri should concern every Nigerian because it is Mr. Odirri today, it could be any of us tomorrow.
As a lawyer practicing here in the U.S., I believe that Mr. Odirri is a victim of the system. The state machinery is being deployed to settle a private score.
If the governor was aggrieved, he should have gone to the civil court to seek redress. Even then, I am not sure he should prevail because as a public figure, he should be subjected to a higher standard of proof for defamation. Can Nigerians imagine if the president of the U.S. or any governor here were allowed to arrest and charge a U.S. citizen for saying something bad about them, the jail would be so full that there would be no space for regular criminals.
In fact, if Clinton had arrested everybody that made defamatory statements about him, at least 20 million Americans would be in jail. They accuse him of everything including murder and conspiracy yet he persevered.
Mr. Odirri's plight has become a crusade for me and I was glad to receive your email talking about human rights. I want to use this opportunity to implore every Nigerian who is perturbed about the malicious state action against Mr. Odirri to sign a petition that I will personally pay for to publish in a reputable Nigerian Newspaper asking Delta state government to reconsider their actions.
Many have abandoned Mr. Odirri including his sister but we must not turn a blind eye to this travesty of justice for any precedence set therefore is a slippery slope that would consume many.
It is quite disturbing to me that the Federal government and Federal courts would allow this injustice and charade to continue.
If you are concerned, please circulate this email to as many people as possible. You may also choose to send email directly to the governor or go to Delta state webpage

That was exactly my concern for us having an Igbo President right now. It could do to us what Obasanjo have done to the yorubas. During Abacha time the yorubas were so vocal against the injustices going on in Nigeria. However since Obasanjo came to power those injustice have quadruple yet most of the vocal critic Abacha have now become the most ardent defenders of Obasanjo attrocities whether is odi masacare or Shoot on sight order from Obusonjo to Nigeria Police.

Like you said to get an Igbo candidate who will be acceptable to the North, he has to be a watered down version of Igbo candidate. You will not see any of the so called conservative Igbos get anywhere in the North as a candidate. This is why people like Ike Nwachukwu whom their Igbo credentials are very thin are been considered. The only reason Ike Nwachukwu name is been toss arround is because of his northern herritage. Ike Nwachukwu is a light weight when it comes to Igbo leadership.

For information, the Aniocha people of Delta State have their kingship from the royal family of Eze Chima, who is said to hail from Benin. Thus, I was a bit confused in this regard. I was then told that the Kingship in this area may have been an imposition, for if the kings came from Bini and the people speak a dialect of Igbo, then something is amiss.

It takes a bigger man to bow down or bow out and admit that they are wrong. For that I think you are bigger man than you think. For that you have my utmost respect if you don't already have it before now. The argument I think have been very civil. We all are here to learn. On that Note also could you please ask your source why the onitsha or Onichas have Obi also.

You mentioned Aniocha I remember in 1980 in Nigeria during the time of agitation for Anioma state, I remember a group of people from Onitsha at that time expressed interest in becoming part of Anioma state. Their explanation was that People of Aniocha and Onicha were sibblings who were divided by River Niger. can somebody look into this and find out if there is some truth behind this. I can imagine it may be true because Onicha are they only town in Southeast that have an Obi. May be other than Arochukwu calphate.

I understand that you are a pro Nigerian who's okay with the status quo.
If Obasanjo's installation for 2003 is a foregone conclusion and the North control the whole process, as you put it, the restructuring you mentioned will be another "stage-management' by the "privileged" which brings you Nigerians back to square one. The pro Nigeria, pro status quo group seem to enjoy endless rounds of vicious cycle where you all claw each other down like captured and helpless crabs at the bottom of the clay pot ready to be cooked.

If the North holds Nigeria's destiny in the palm of his hands and Obasanjo is the best that Nigeria can produce, then Nigeria is not awake to the 21st century neither is he interested in getting there.

Balogun,
Please be informed that Nzeribe does not speak for the Igbos. The only umbrella organization that guide the Igbos in their polical route is Ohaneze Ndigbo. If 2003 is so far as you elluded, why are you then concluding that Obasanjo has already won an election which will take place two years from now? Like I said in my last post, even if Osanjo or anyone wins the election of 2003, we, the Igbos unlike the Yorubas will not let up on our demand for a sovereign state of Biafra, or at worst, a restructured Nigeria. How could you talk of restructure when your cousins (Bola Ige & Co) have all sold out to the North you are now accusing of sponsoring Obasanjo? Please do not run away from the truth, the bitter truth is that your people have mortgaged both their conscience and that of all of the south. We must not always blame the North for our (south) cowardice. Nigeria does not belong to the North alone, but it is the dis-oriented South that have always given the North the reason to think that way. An Igboman has every right to contest for the Nigerian presidency whether the North likes it or not. By the way, are you ready to vote for an Igboman come 2003? If yes, could you name who that candidate would be and why you want to vote for him or her. Meanwhile, Ohaneze should forget the Nzeribes and go ahead (which I think they are doing now) and choose a viable candidate and put to Nigeria and let Nigerians decide between him/her and Obasanjo or any other person whom they want to govern Nigeria after 2003. No single person or group of persons should arrogate to themslves the exclusive right of choosing who should rule over 120 million Nigerians.
The consensus on this thread so far is that Igbos want Governor Orji Kalu to represent them come 2003. Nevertheless, alutta continu para the actualization of the Republic of Biafra.

Like I have said many times MASSOB is the only Igbo organization that have a grassroot support. And have the gut to shake the status quo in Nigeria. How many Igbo organization from Ohanaeze to Odenigbo have had the gut to even mention Biafra. But MASSOB have raised Biafran Flag. and Continue to talk about Biafra, They have been prisoned they have been arrested, they have been harrassed and yet they are not detered. For me that is what I call a grassroot organization.