If things had gone the way explained by the writer, and if Obasanjo had confidence in himself and his divisive actions, he wouldn't have resorted to rigging the elections. This proved that votes have never counted in Nigeria. It is time they do. With the present mentality of the component nations in Nigeria, the citizens of each nation don't vote for other people while their son or daughter is a candidate. So the only way possible for Obasanjo was to steal their votes. Today, it is evident to the whole world that Nigeria's elections had been rigged. If Obasanjo does not have any self-respect, then let him parade himself as "president" of Nigeria.
___________________ 1) Everything you can imagine is real->Picasso
2) They taught you the praises of their God, and these hosannas, when tuned into your sorrows, gave you the hope of a better world to come-->Patrice Lumumba Posts: 379 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I am not one to ascribe so much guile to Obasanjo. But, there is no part of the scheme narrated below which was not evident as far back as 1998/1999 when Obasanjo and Mbadnuju scuttled Igbo Day.
quote:While Obasanjo’s fireworks were on in the camps of AD and Afenifere, a similar vengeance was also being unleashed on the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo equivalent of Afenifere. But, for the Ohanaeze, the plot was to plant the seed of discord so that the Igbo cannot speak with one voice, and so that they cannot operate as a united front. The first battle theatre came with the 1999 Igbo day celebrations. The Ohanaeze had slated Uli, in Anambra State, the location for the old Biafran Airstrip for the event. But working through Governor Chinweoke Mbadinuju who rejected the hosting of the event in his state, Obasanjo ended up scuttling that year’s annual celebration. In September 2002, the president also showed sympathy in the Ukwa-Ngwa uprising that scuttled the cerebration at Aba. Then came the heated clamour for Igbo president spearheaded by Ohanaeze. This agitation gained momentum in 2001 and 2002. But Obasanjo had his hatchet men among the Igbo. And one of them was Ojo Maduekwe, his Minister of Transport. The highpoint of Maduekwe’s spoiler role came at the World Igbo Congress held last year in the USA when he almost fought physically to affirm that it was not the turn of the Igbo to produce the president. The president also sponsored a campaign of calumny against the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the movement led by Chief Raph Uwazuruike. This campaign saw the Igbo elite and elders distancing themselves from MASSOB and writing it off as a recalcitrant youth organisation, leading to a series of disclaimer in the dailies against Uwazuruike by Ohanaeze. And such was the ruthless device that by the time the game was ready, four Igbo, all members of Ohanaeze, were presidential flag bearers of different parties. In the South Eastern states where there was a heated opposition against the governors led by the national representatives from the states, Obasanjo quickly realigned with the governors and thereby rendered the federal elements irrelevant. This was the case in Enugu where Jim Nwobodo lost out in the power games, and in Ebonyi where Anyim Pius Anyim was disrobed at home. And in Abia, after using the former Deputy Governor, Enyinnaya Abaribe, to fight Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, he ditched Abaribe and left his group in the lurch. With this divide and rule tactics, the president checkmated and immobilised the Igbo group and ensured they could not stand on the way of his ambition for a second term.
Today, the spineless Chiefs Ozobu-Nwabueze-led "Ohanaeze Nd'Igbo" has moved Igbo Day to a date set by Obasanjo. The re-burial at Uli never took place. While the World cries foul, Ohanaeze has announced that there was no evidence of fraud at the polls. In the last elections, Ohanaeze could not name a consensus candidate for president because such an act would have constituted the projection of the Igbo agenda in a manner that neither Obasanjo nor the northerners pre-approved.
The first tasks on the way to gaining control of our affairs includes dismantling the cabal of gerontocrats known as "Ohanaeze Nd'Igbo." Unfortunately, there is today an emerging cadre of future "Ohanaeze Chieftains" whose claim to relevance consists in maintaining close ties with the dying Ozobu group. The silliness is not limited to AlaIgbo; it has spread to Diaspora.
In “New Igbo and Obasanjo: of Signatures and Sour Grapes,” James Ekechukwu wrote,
Dismantling “Ohanaeze Nd’Igbo” would certainly deprive our enemies of the cover that crimes committed against Nd'Igbo are sanctioned by something often referred to as the "Apex Socio-Cultural Association " in AlaIgbo, whatever that means. It is easy to understand why Afenifere has accepted the electoral fraud committed in Yorubaland; a Yoruba man committed the fraud. But, what is the reason that “Ohanaeze Nd’Igbo” has accepted the fraud committed in Igboland? The answer will smash quite a few pedestals.
___________________ No Biafran will be permitted to play Mother Theresa to the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani, but play Osama Bin Laden to the Igbo or Biafrans! Posts: 1182 | Registered: Mar 2001
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It's all too clear now, the quick dismantling of Bakassi and the imprisonment of Uwazuruike and co. just before the selection ensured a condusive atmosphere for rigging in Igboland. Imagine what Bakssi would have done in Onitsha or what MASSOB would have done in Imo over the rigging ? It is time Ndigbo stop killing their gaurd dogs in the name of unity, where are all those stupid human rights organizations now that a whole region has been completely disenfranchised ?
As for WIC, I think anybody still patronizing them is a certified moron. There is no alternative to Igbo survival beyond grabbing the bull by the horn, Ndigbo must slay the dragon in their castle or there will be no peace.
Posts: 1532 | From: USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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quote:While the World cries foul, Ohanaeze has announced that there was no evidence of fraud at the polls. In the last elections, Ohanaeze could not name a consensus candidate for president because such an act would have constituted the projection of the Igbo agenda in a manner that neither Obasanjo nor the northerners pre-approved.
Recently, I read one of the comments by Ohanaeze, not on BNW and the article did not confirm what you have just said, that there was no evidence of election rigging in Nigeria. You could have read it somewhere else but I would like you to give us reference or something to hold on. Oterwise it could be dangerous to make such statements which could lead to the manipulation of some people.
As regards consensus for presidential candiadte, please read the article below:
quote:Daily Independent Online. * Wednesday, March 26, 2003. Ohanaeze urges support for APGA
By Eze Ekuma-Ibe, Daily Independent, Lagos
The Igbo all over the country have been advised to support and adopt the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) as their party in the forthcoming general elections.
Chief Gerald Okorie, president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ojo, Lagos chapter,
made the call at the weekend while addressing the press. According to him, the treatment meted out to Igbo presidential aspirants in both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), had made it imperative for the Igbo to adopt APGA as an Igbo man political party with national network and outlook.
"In a situation where all attempts are made to frustrate Igboman's amb-ition to rule this country, it pays us better to come together under a political party so that we can negotiate using APGA as vehicle for the said negotiation", he added.
Okorie advised the Igbo to vote against any person who directly or indirectly sabotaged the Igbo presidency project, adding that it is by so doing will they realise that they did wrong.
He further advised those outside the South East states not to travel for Easter until they have cast their vote for the presidential election, adding that they should not vote for any party on the basis of its ability to win the presidential election but based on its programme for the protection of the Igbo interest.
"We have a lot to learn from our Yoruba brothers who will always vote for the Yoruba even when they are very much aware that the said party does not have hope. Our desire to always search and support a winning party has made us political prostitutes since in such parties we are not regarded. Those who made the party a winning party always treat us as visitors and the marginalisation continues", he said.
Okorie further described as untrue the claim in certain quarters that the Igbo lost out on the presidency because they could not produce one presidential candidate, saying that no ethnic group in the country have got the presidency based on this argument.
According to him, Shehu Shagari won the presidency in 1979 despite the fact that there were three other Northern presidential candidates, whereas the East and West had one presidential candidate respectively.
This is where communication is important and above all we should not "swallow" anything we hear with verification. My proposition is to improve the representation in Ohanaeze and to find a way of funding it which would enable the members not to resort to prostitution. Finally, it is always better to chase away outsiders from our homes before sorting ourselves out. This should not deter us from gathering evidence for future trials, the only basis on which somebody can be condemned..
___________________ 1) Everything you can imagine is real->Picasso
2) They taught you the praises of their God, and these hosannas, when tuned into your sorrows, gave you the hope of a better world to come-->Patrice Lumumba Posts: 379 | Registered: Apr 2003
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It's all too clear now, the quick dismantling of Bakassi and the imprisonment of Uwazuruike and co. just before the selection ensured a condusive atmosphere for rigging in Igboland. Imagine what Bakssi would have done in Onitsha or what MASSOB would have done in Imo over the rigging ? It is time Ndigbo stop killing their gaurd dogs in the name of unity, where are all those stupid human rights organizations now that a whole region has been completely disenfranchised ?
As for WIC, I think anybody still patronizing them is a certified moron. There is no alternative to Igbo survival beyond grabbing the bull by the horn, Ndigbo must slay the dragon in their castle or there will be no peace.
Chiboy, We should continue to support Ohanaeze and WIC, making improvements where necessary and not allowing ourselves to be manipulated. It is wrong to condemn ohanaeze and WIC, without proposing what to replace them with or another way forward. We method should be improvement on what we have through communication.
___________________ 1) Everything you can imagine is real->Picasso
2) They taught you the praises of their God, and these hosannas, when tuned into your sorrows, gave you the hope of a better world to come-->Patrice Lumumba Posts: 379 | Registered: Apr 2003
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