Ndigbo Will Support Igbo-Interest Party, Candidate — Ohanaeze

ENUGU—OHANAEZE Ndigbo has stated that the Igbo will support only political parties and 

candidates with the interest of Ndigbo in their agenda in the 2019 general elections.

President General of the body, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, said that their support will only go to a 

presidential candidate with manifest programme that would address the multifarious interests and 

challenges confronting Ndigbo in Nigeria. Nwodo spoke yesterday, at a reception organized by the

 Enugu Chapter of the group in his honour on arrival at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, 

Enugu, after a trip to the United States of America, where he and his deputy  went to inaugurate 

the South Carolina chapter of Ohanaeze. Nwodo stressed that although the group was a non-

political association, it would advise Ndigbo to vote for a candidate of the political party that has 

the best programmes for Ndigbo in 2019. Nwodo also expressed anger at the deplorable state of 

the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, saying that deliberate neglect of the airport, the only 

international airport in the zone, tallies with the obvious marginalization of the South East geo-

political zone in the socio-political and economic development of the country, particularly after the

 civil war that ended in 1970. He said their visit to the US provided the opportunity for him to 

interact with other Igbo organizations and business men and intimated them of the recent South 

East economic summit and the work of Prof. Chuwkuma Soludo’s Economic and Political 

Committee, which Ohanaeze inaugurated recently to articulate the roadmap for the socio-

economic and political development of South East region. The President General of Ohanaeze 

said that  Nigerians in US were enthusiastic to partner with South East governors for the 

development of the region, especially in the area of digital technology, agriculture and power in 

order to create employment opportunities for the young ones and revive the moribund industries in

the area. “Ohanaeze is a non- political organization and the membership of Ohanaeze cuts 

across 

political lines. All Igbo are members of Ohanaeze from their town unions and they all exist in all 

the political parties, so I cannot be an agent of any political party. “What is important to Ohanaeze

 is that before the election, all the political parties must sell their manifestoes  to us so that we can 

advise the  Igbo appropriately. The parties have not yet nominated their candidates; so, it is 

premature for me to begin to ask them what they have. “When the candidates emerge, I will seek 

audience with them. First of all, I’ll want  whoever becomes the next president of Nigeria to sign an 

undertaking, if he is not an Igbo man, that he will not stay for more than one tenure and that the 

next president of Nigeria will come to Igbo thereafter. That is the irreducible minimum for Ndigbo.”

 On the state of Akanu Ibiam International Airport Nwodo said, “Today I lost my temper at the 

Airport, because our people have an international airport that is not operational. I spoke to the 

President  in Abakaliki about the state of Enugu Airport; the runway is in a despicable condition. 

The Ethiopian Airlines came to my house and complained to me with pictures. There were cracks 

in the runway, the new terminal building is abandoned, the one former President Jonathan 

renovated is not like anything anybody did anything to. Part of the annex  was carried away by 

hurricane. The one there  is in a  very bad condition. “In the international arrival where we used 

today, it took us two hours to get our luggage. First, the trucks that were going to bring them are in

 disuse, only one is working. Secondly, the punishment our people are given in the airport there, 

Immigration takes bribe from them, Customs takes bribe from them. “There is nowhere in the 

world you have gone through an air transportation and you arrive in your place and the Customs 

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ill begin to ask you what are you carrying, because there is international agreement for carriage of 

goods. All dutiable goods are  assessed at the point of shipment because they go through an x-

tray. “But people carry personal effect and reach Enugu airport  and they tell them to open their 

box to see what they are carrying, nobody does it in Lagos, nobody does it in Abuja, nobody does

 it in Kaduna, nobody does it in Kano. But it is done here. A boy called S. I. Jubril of the Nigerian 

Customs was the one presiding over this rape of our people today and I chastised him,” he said. 

Sets up committee to resolve Lagos leadership tussle Meantime, the pan-Igbo socio-cultural 

organisation yesterday said the organization is poised to resolve the leadership crisis of Lagos 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, stating that some fraudsters have been using the name of Ohanaeze to 

defraud people and it will come hard on them. The National Deputy Financial Secretary of 

Ohaneze Ndigbo and the team leader of Lagos transition committee set up to resolve the 

leadership tussle, Elder Chris Iseluka said that anybody misbehaving in the South West in the

name of Ohanaeze will be taken care of. He said: “The National Executive Council, NEC, has 

taken over Lagos. As far as Ohanaeze Ndigbo is concerned, there is no executive in Lagos state. 

That is why we have come to Lagos to resolve the issues. We know the implication of what is 

happening in Lagos and we are prepared for it. “We are in total control of the situation. Those who 

are loyal to the national body will not be disappointed.  We have 13.5 million members of 

Ohanaeze in Lagos state. That is why we have high regard for Ohanaeze Lagos. After National 

Ohanaeze, Lagos is next,” Iseloka said. He said the committee will be meeting with Lagos state 

governor and Lagos commissioner of police to help fight those using Ohaneze to defraud people.

 He added that due to the leadership tussle in the state, the national body has decided to hold a 

town hall meeting on December 14 in National stadium, Surulere to bring peace to Ohanaeze 

Lagos branch. “Ohaneze is one . Why we are doing this is to enable peace reign in Ohanaeze

 Lagos.” We now have strong affiliations with Afenifere, Niger Delta and the Middle belt to move 

our goals forward.” He said those who will attend the town hall meeting are the five South East 

governors, South East senators and members of the House of Representatives. The members of 

the organizing committee for the Lagos Town Hall meeting include Ogbuefi Eluemunoh, Chief 

Charles Odunukwe, Dr. Sylvanus Ebigwei, Chief Eric Ebeh, Barrister Guy Ikoku, Barrister Chibuzo 

Azubuike, Hon. Kalu Uguru.