As Nigerians prepare for this year’s general elections, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has explained why it would vote for President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Against Major General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The position of the group, was disclosed on Wednesday by the chairman of its Anambra State branch, Chris Eluemuno, who declared that the ethnic nationality would have difficulty forgetting the perceived anti-Igbo sentiments of the APC candidate.
Eluemuno recalls for instance that Buhari, as military ruler between 1984 and 1985 ordered the execution of a teenage boy in Enugu for allegedly smoking Indian hemp. He also recalled the detention of former Vice president, Chief Alex Ekwueme, while the deposed President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was put in house arrest in a comfortable house.
He said: “I can vividly remember that when Buhari was the military Head of state, he ordered the execution of an Igbo boy who smoked Indian hemp, an offence that carried six months imprisonment on conviction. He quickly made a decree to support the death penalty on Indian hemp and backdated it to accommodate the boy for an offence that was then six months imprisonment for anybody convicted”.
The Ohaneze leader added: “Buhari also detained Dr. Alex Ekwueme, the first Executive Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the maximum prison for carrying coal while the Ex-President Shehu Shagari was kept under house arrest then.” He also alleged that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has no plan for the Igbo or Nigeria in its party manifesto, unlike President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he said is pan-Nigeria.
His words: “Apart from his marvelous achievements, which are so glaring for everybody to see, President Jonathan is an Igbo man with full Igbo blood in him and his family.
He has Igbo connection and heritage”. Eluemonor made the declaration while receiving an award of “Exemplary Leadership Award from Leadership and Role Model Foundation of Nigeria”, which was held at the East –End Hotel, Awka, Anambra State. (Eaglesquare Reporters)