Arise oh 50 millions Ibos to take your destiny in your Hands! Arise o ye downtroaded and marginalised,! arise oh ye victims of one Nigeria!, Arise to take that what belongs to you, Arise!, put on your Amour for the battle ahead, arise now and claim your right, and righfull place!!.. arise!... arise..arise o ye Warriors of the east!
2007 Presidency: Ohanaeze adopts Kalu By CHRISTIAN ITA (Lagos) and GODDY OSUJI (Enugu) Sunday, January 21, 2007 •Kalu Photo: Sun News Publishing Mores Stories on This Section
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization yesterday adopted Abia State governor and presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief Orji Uzor Kalu as its preferred candidate for the 2007 presidential election.
Ohanaeze took the decision at a meeting presided over by its President General, Dr. Dozie Ikedife and held at the Hiltop Hotel, Ngwo, the hometown of Second Republic governor of old Anamabra State, Chief C.C. Onoh, in Enugu State.
The choice of Kalu was based on the report of the organization’s 9-man adhoc search committee headed by Chief Mbazulike Amechi with Professor Uche Azikiwe as secretary. Kalu was chosen ahead of Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Pat Utomi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Prof.Iheanyichukwu Nnaji, Chief Osita Okereke and Maxi Okwu.
In arriving at the decision, the organisation took into consideration various criteria such as acceptability, integrity, political network and availability of funds.
In his acceptance speech, Kalu promised to abide by the decision of Ohanaeze concerning the Igbo nation.
He also pledged to unite all dissenting voices in Igboland and would to this effect, hold a unity rally. Among those he promised to invite to the rally include the immediate past President-General of Ohanaeze, Prof. Joe Irukwu.
The meeting was attended by prominent lgbo political, religious and cultural leaders from all the Igbo speaking states in the country as well as some of the presidential candidates including Okereke, Max Okwu and Utomi who, however, left the meeting before the decision was taken as well as national chairmen of some political parties of lgbo extraction.
Some of the lgbo leaders that attended the meeting include Ndubisi Kanu, former military administrator of Lagos state and former chairman of the Ohaneze interim committee, Chief Jim Nwobodo and Chief Christain Onoh former governors of Old Anambra state, National Chairman of Justice Party, Ralph Obioha, Methodist Arch-Bishop of Umuahia, Rogers Uwadi and his Anglican counterparts in Nnewi among others.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Ohaneze leader, who equally chaired the occasion, said the adoption of Kalu as Igbo preferred presidential candidate was borne out of the governor’s track records and commitment to Igbo cause as he has remain consistent in fighting issues concerning Ndigbo. He restated the insistence of the apex socio-of lgbo cultural organization of Ndigbo for the Southeast or South-south zone to produce the next president promising that the issue would not be compromised. On census, the Ohaneze leader said that the figure ascribed to the zone was unacceptable promising that a detailed communiqué would be issued after further consideration of the figure released by the census commission.
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quotable quotes! Everybody knows in this country how he has remained the voice of Ndigbo in this country since the present democratic experience. Who has done more than him? Who has even done as much as he has done? Check from 1999 till date, whenever anything happens, while others are cringing in their cocoons, it is only Kalu that comes out to speak the minds of all. Therefore at times like this, it is only such people that you can trust to defend Ndigbo. And the way he has made inroads in other parts of the country, he is the most saleable Igbo candidate for now. That is why we are all for him. You can’t build something on nothing," he said.
Igbo Presidency And Kalu’s Looming Image 25th January By Sunny Igboanugo, Regional Editor, South East
By today, Ndigbo in the Diasporas would have converged in Owerri, the Imo State capital to chart the way forward for their people in the ever-mercuric atmosphere that Nigerian politics has continued to assume. Like Generals plotting a war strategy, Igbo personalities living in all parts of the world, in conjunction with their compatriots at home are expected to spread the current Nigerian political map on the table at the meeting and pencil out the road to follow in their journey to the ultimate destination. That destination is Aso Villa, the home of Nigeria’s number one citizen, the President.
As Chief Chekwas Okorie, National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) put it recently, the mission is for Ndigbo to occupy the masters bedroom of the villa on the night of May 29 this year.
The current move is consistent with the vow by the group under the aegis of World Igbo Congress (WIC), which has, for more than two decades assumed the foreign component of Igbo aspirations.
Charles Chikeze, its secretary had told Daily Independent recently that time had come for Ndigbo abroad to play a concerted role in changing things for their people. Regretting that part of the Igbo problem in the past, especially those abroad had been the absence of trust and unity of purpose, he said that things had begun to change with the new focus the WIC was having under the present leadership and that a lot of mobilisation was now going on, not only to get the members speak with one voice and become interested in Igbo matters, but also influence things at home. He was particular that one of the goals the group would pursue vehemently was the Igbo presidency agenda.
Ichie Chibuzor, Onwuchekwe, President of the body echoed the same sentiment at the election of new Ohanaeze executive in Umuahia on November 4, when he exhorted Ndigbo to go all out for the number one position, adding that WIC would provide all at its disposal to ensure that nothing went amiss in the struggle.
In fact he was so peeved over the conduct of some Igbo elements towards the collective interest, that he warned that such must not be condoned anymore. "We can’t stand by and be onlookers in the affairs of this country. This is the time to stand up and do something for the sake of our people and the generation that is coming. We are passing the message to those that have been sabotaging the efforts of Ndigbo that enough is enough. The end has come for any Igboman to engage all these activities that brings us to a continuous circle," he said.
Also speaking in the same vein Mazi Nnamdi Ichongere leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in United Kingdom and Ireland told Daily Independent that funding the project would present no problem, as Ndigbo in the Diasporas would be ready to provide it, so long as there was unity of purpose.
"I must tell you that we are not happy with the way things are going with our country, Nigeria, especially in Igboland. There is no doubt that if our home is good and in order, those living in various parts of the world would start looking homewards. We have vowed that as Ohanaeze in England and Ireland, we will ensure that the name of Ndigbo will never die. Ndigbo must get their dues. Our people say, when wealth gets home, it becomes good wealth. We have a lot of important people here. We have those that are well educated, we have so many people in high positions here. We also ensure that we send part of what we make here home. We have been sending money home and are ready to send more, provided we see to what use they had been put.
"If Ohanaeze is united and moves in a purposeful direction, if it comes in the area of money, we will not be found wanting," he said.
It is therefore with this mindset that the Owerri meeting would expectedly be conducted. Sources say that one of the cards on the table would be how to get a consensus candidate for Ndigbo, where the human and material resources they are bringing would go.
Top on the list of candidates being considered, Daily Independent gathered is Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. Kalu is said to be favoured above others because of his youthfulness and resilience in pursuing matters of Igbo interest. For instance, Kalu’s position over the third term scheme seems to be the clincher. While other governors in the South East supported the third term agenda that was killed by the National Assembly, last year, the Abia Governor stood vehemently against it. "That alone stands the governor out among other contenders. Everybody knows in this country how he has remained the voice of Ndigbo in this country since the present democratic experience. Who has done more than him? Who has even done as much as he has done? Check from 1999 till date, whenever anything happens, while others are cringing in their cocoons, it is only Kalu that comes out to speak the minds of all. Therefore at times like this, it is only such people that you can trust to defend Ndigbo. And the way he has made inroads in other parts of the country, he is the most saleable Igbo candidate for now. That is why we are all for him. You can’t build something on nothing," he said.
If the group eventually adopts Kalu it would simply be toeing the line of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, which first followed that path, last week in Enugu. Kalu was said to have scored the highest votes during the screening of a committee set up by the body the previous week at the Ovim, Isukuwato home of former governor of Lagos State, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu.
Ikedife had after receiving the report and having got the endorsement of other members at the meeting, called on Ndigbo to put their hands on deck to ensure that Kalu’s presidency comes to fruition.
Daily Independent gathered also that even as at now, pressures are being mounted on other candidates from the area to drop their ambition and join the governor’s campaign. In fact, one of those said to have been approached in this regard is Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who is currently the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate. Ojukwu was said to have been approached after the Enugu meeting, where former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Christian Chukwuma Onoh, who reportedly led the team urged him to shelve his ambition for a younger man and take a desired rest, having laboured for the people for more than four decades, a suggestion which the Ezeigbo reportedly said he would give a favourable thought.
Ojukwu, was said to have told the team that since he owed his existence to Ndigbo, there was no sacrifice that he would not make for them. If this report is true, Ndigbo would have scored a bulls eyes, because it would be the first time they would be reaching a collective agreement on a major political issue. And the ultimate beneficiary would be Kalu. Whatever happens thereafter can only be determined by time.
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