Chukwuemeka Ezeife a former Governor of Anambra State, and the president of the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum has called out the Federal government of Nigeria for using its powers to discredit the court and judges, by disobeying court orders.
Ezeife is also calling on the federal government to restore prestige to the judiciary.
In an interview with Independent Newspaper, the former Anambra governor commented on his advocacy for one Nigeria.
According to him, every cultural and political group, even the Fulanis and Yorubas, in the country would benefit from a unified Nigeria that is properly restructured. “No group in Nigeria, considering the group’s true long-term interest, will regret what seems to be coming to Nigeria. A new Nigeria is manifesting.
“Which group in Nigeria will be against proper economic development, exclusive economic development?
“Nigeria is developing into a superpower, as if God destined it for unmatched greatness. Which group in Nigeria will be against reasonable peace?” He asked.
He appealed to Nigerians to think deeply about the country’s interests, so that a new Nigeria would emerge that will enable Nigerians to raise the dignity and respect of all blacks on Earth and inturn enables them to have a say in the governance of the world.
Speaking on why the Igbo Elders Conservative Forum was yet to support openly any candidate, Ezeife made it known that it had been agreed in the Southern and Middle Belt Forum to call all the candidates from the South East, interview them, and adopt one person, but that has been overtaken by events. He went on to establish that there is one from the South East who is everybody’s candidate.
Speaking about this candidate, he noted thus: “He is the true unifier in Nigeria because he is someone who will banish poverty, insecurity, and all the negatives associated with Nigeria. That person is Peter Obi, and he is the person whom all of us will support.”
He noted that the Igbo Elders forum made sure Peter Obi came out of Presidency, and stated that they had to convince him to leave PDP and present him self as a presidential candidate under another party. Ezeife stated that he believed in Peter Obi, whom he said had the capacity to restructure Nigeria and ensure each group was satisfied.
Furthermore, commenting on why it appears that no prominent Igbo politician from either of the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress or the PDP, has come out in support of Peter Obi, the former Anambra Governor pointed out that they are not shy to come out, and are not understood by others.
According to him, the problem with coming out was thus: “If you don’t find the Igbo who are ministers, senators, House of Representatives members, and so on, saying Peter Obi is their man, it is because they don’t want the rest of Nigeria, to consider Peter Obi an Igbo project. We don’t want the rest of the nation to think that Obi is the only Igbo candidate and Igbo alone. That is not it; but if you want us to say it soon, we will.”
He continued thus: “We will say that our candidate is Peter Obi, and anybody who knows anything, should join in prayers to God because the hand of God is on Peter Obi. The hands of God are on the Nigerian youths who are teaching us how to make Nigeria a new country.”
On northern youths not being part of the Obi movement, Ezeife established that this was not true.
He stated that he had received Northern youths who expressed their support for Peter Obi.
Going on further, he stated that the support of Peter Obi was not limited by Religion, or ethnic group, as people have understood what Obi brings to the table.
He expressed his disappointment in the fact that despite going to Shettima, the VP Candidate for the APC to assist a young man whose business was down, Shettima was yet to use his influence. Though Ezeife noted that this may be due to him being busy with campaign.
Remarking on the North being against restructuring of Nigeria, Ezeife sought to correct that notion.
According to him the North wasn’t against restructuring but resource control. “No, the North cannot be against restructuring. The North is against resource control.
“The North is against being denied oil revenue as a result of resource control. And they think resource control is the dominant factor in restructuring, which is not so.”, he stated.
He went on to state that restructuring of the country was needed to satisfy the various agitating groups in the country, and this means going back to regional government.
His words read thus: “We want to have all those clamouring for Biafra, Oduduwa Republic, and others in Nigeria. How do we achieve this? This is by giving fair independence to regional governments. If you have been doing something and it is working, eventually you will start another that is not working; the best thing to do then is to go back to what was working. This means going back to regional government, where members of the region are in control.”
Reacting to if adoption of Peter Obi by the Igbo Elders Forum was a retaliation to Afenifere faction led by Pa Reuben Fasoranti adopting Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is from the South West, Ezeife stated thus: “No, no, no. First of all, Afenifere had endorsed Obi. By the way, this is payback time. No Yoruba man, alive or dead, worked harder for Abiola than I did. Let the Yorubas think.”
On a final note, he noted that the failure of the Yoruba and the Igbo to agree among themselves is one of the reasons causing the poverty and insecurity Nigeria faced today.
Credit: The Nigeria Lawyers