At Last, Ohanaeze Endorses Atiku for President

• Presidential candidate vows to bring prosperity back

Christopher Isiguzo, Gideon Arinze in Enugu and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Thursday finally endorsed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the February 16 presidential election.

Ohanaeze’s endorsement is coming as Atiku promised to bring back wealth and prosperity to Nigeria if voted into power in February 16 presidential poll.

According to a statement issued after the Ime Obi meeting of Ohanaeze and signed by its President General, Chief Nnia Nwodo, Ndigbo all over the country would support the PDP candidate who the organisation said had shown commitment to addressing the myriads of problems facing the country.

“After a critical and dispassionate appraisal of the issues and the visible fault lines in our polity, including the analysis of the election manifestos of the various contesting parties, especially with regards to the restructuring of the federation and continued relevance of our people in the Nigerian geopolitical space, the meeting resolved as follows:

“That Ohanaeze remains the apex socio-cultural organisation that works for the interest of the Igbo in and outside Nigeria. It attempts to aggregate the views of all other Igbo platforms;

“Ohanaeze notes particularly that a major political party (PDP) by the nomination of our son, Peter Obi, as the vice presidential candidate has given Ndigbo an opportunity for inclusivity. Ndigbo must seize the moment;

“That the presidential candidate of PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has made an avowed commitment to restructuring of the federation and reconfirmed same during his recent visit to the United States in his meetings with high-level US officials;

“In consideration of the above and other relevant existential factors pertaining to the treatment of the Igbo in our polity, the Ime Obi Ohanaeze, therefore, hereby ratify the decision reached at the Ohanaeze National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Enugu on January 22, 2019, to adopt the Atiku Abubakar/ Peter Obi ticket in the 2019 presidential election. Ime Obi therefore endorses and embraces fully, this ticket without equivocation, especially with regards to the position of Ndigbo at the Awka Declaration, which insisted on a complete restructuring of the Nigerian polity.

“Ohanaeze urges Ndigbo to see their PVCs as their most potent tool to ensure a restructured polity and for a better society.

“The meeting further called on the international community to help to ensure a free and credible 2019 elections in Nigeria.
Ohanaeze also urged all Igbo to come out and vote.

I will Bring Prosperity Back to Nigeria, Says Atiku

Meanwhile, as the PDP presidential campaign hits Kaduna yesterday, its presidential candidate, Atiku has promised to bring back wealth and prosperity to Nigeria if voted into power in February 16 presidential poll.
This was as the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, said that President Muhammadu Buhari has tried, but he has lost the strength to lead a country of 200 million people.

Atiku who addressed a presidential rally in Hausa, in Kaduna, said there was no hunger and poverty among Nigerians when the PDP was in power.

He alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had failed to fulfill it’s 2015 campaign promises, urging electorate to vote the PDP back to power come February 16 to return the nation back to the path of progress.
The former vice president said the APC and President Buhari had promised to tackle security but failed, as the challenges continued in most part of the country.

He, however, said the APC and President Buhari must go, urging the people to vote the PDP from bottom to top.
“The PDP is responsible for all the development in this country, but they came and deceived people, and lied to them and, asked them to vote for change, but where is the change.

“The APC promised to tackle insecurity but the challenges are still here, ravaging the North-east, North-west and the North-central, have they fulfilled the promises, So why are we going to vote for them?
“You know that when PDP was in power, there was prosperity, wealth and development.

“So let me tell you, if you vote the PDP we shall bring back prosperity, progress, employment and trades to the people. This is a promise we are making to you.

“I am begging you to vote the PDP from top to bottom and bottom to top. So join me in chanting Buhari must go. APC must go. May God bless you.”

Earlier, the National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus had said that President Buhari has tried, but no longer have the strength to continue to rule over 200 million people.

“It is time to ask President Buhari to go; he has tried, but let him go home and rest. His energy is no more there. We need somebody with a lot of energy that can work for 24 hours.

“If you vote for APC, the Cabal will be in control of government because Buhari is weak, he cannot rule.
“We want somebody who has the capacity to rule this country, and that person is Atiku. Atiku will provide jobs, food, security, etc for Nigerians.

“Nigeria is 200 million people, so Atiku will not sleep until there is food on your table and security of lives and property all over the country. Atiku will not fail you.
“Don’t listen to APC deceit, Isah Ashiru is your next governor in Kaduna, and vote for all PDP candidates in Kaduna”.

The PDP national chairman said the era of election rigging is over, saying that nobody can rig election any longer.
He warned INEC to resist the temptation of rigging the election.

Earlier, the Director-General of the PDP and President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, had said, “They promised us security, but there is no security anywhere in Nigeria.

“There is no security in the North-east, no security in the North-west, no security in the North-central, no security anywhere in Nigeria.

“They promised us economic development but Nigeria is now the capital of poverty.
“Come February, Nigerians should vote for the PDP in all the elections. We want a better Nigeria, not the propaganda of the APC.”

Former interim national chairman of PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said the crowd has confirmed that Kaduna is a PDP state.

“We in PDP, we don’t abuse whatever. The road, water supply, big educational institutions, secondary schools, health facilities you see in Kaduna State were built by PDP.”