The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has said the presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, is no longer an ‘Igbo project’.
The National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, said this in an interview with Saturday PUNCH.
He said the Igbo had “exported him to the rest of Nigeria”, and added that Nigerians had “accepted and domesticated him”.
He spoke on the backdrop of the recent visit by some Igbo elders to the Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Muhammad Abubakar, to intensify consultation and concretise plans for a president from Igbo extraction in 2023.
He said, “As you must have heard, some Igbo elders are doing some consultations. We are still insisting on Igbo presidency. In the first place, if you watch the polity, you will see a lot of advocacies about Igbo presidency by Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“We, the Igbo people, are so happy. We brought out our goods in the market and Nigerians bought them. What else do you expect us to do? We are happy. All Igbo are happy.
“Throughout last year and the year before, we have been talking about the Igbo presidency. Ohanaeze struggled to bring it to the fore. Luckily for us, Nigerians have bought it and domesticated it. Our product has been purchased.
“It is clear that the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, is no longer an Igbo project. He is now a national project. Ohanaeze has pushed out the matter to the rest of Nigeria