The apex Igbo socio-political and cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has vowed to oppose Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on which platform he emerged Presidential candidate for the 2023 election in Nigeria.
The group also made it clear that no Igbo person will be allowed to campaign and project his presidential agenda in the region, describing the PDP presidential primaries that produced him as its 2023 presidential candidate, as corrupt and erratic.
Reacting to Atiku’s victory, Ohanaeze in a statement made available to newsmen today, May 29, through its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said that the PDP presidential candidate will never become Nigeria’s president.
Describing the PDP, which is the main opposition political party in Nigeria as having been reduced to a “Northern party,” Ohanaeze rejected Atiku’s candidacy, alleging that his emergence as PDP’s candidate was a plot by unpatriotic Northerners against the Southern part of the country.
Okechukwu Isiguzoro said that the Igbo would rise up against Atiku and that his presidential campaign would be rejected in the South-East.
Part of the statement reads: “It’s amusing that PDP is now a Political party for the Northern region, with Dr. Iyocha Ayu as PDP chair, Walid Jubril as BOT Chair and Atiku Abubakar as 2023 PDP Presidential candidate.
“PDP has fulfilled her threats to sideline the Igbo in 2023 and we will carefully answer back to them.
“Another Northerner, Senator David Mark supervised the process that schemed out Igbo from PDP. The consequences of the 2022 PDP Convention will be a discontinuity of milking of Igbo votes by a party that butchered the Igbo’s dream.
“We are waiting for the APC presidential primary to take the final decision on whether or not Igbos will participate in the 2023 elections.
“Atiku Abubakar will be opposed in the South-East, and no Igbo is anticipated to champion or project Atiku Presidency in the East. Nobody is going to take the risk of campaigning for Atiku in the East since the PDP is now a regional northern political party. Atiku will not have Igbo support him in 2023, he cannot be the President of Nigeria in 2023.
“Ndigbo will rise against PDP and Atiku Abubakar as a prize for PDP’s ingratitude and dishonesty against Igbo.”
