2015: We Prefer Jonathan to Buhari, says Ohanaeze

As Nigerians prepare for 2015 general elections, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has unveiled the reasons it would vote for President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the candidature of the All Progressive Congress, APC, General Mohammadu Buhari.

Ohanaeze, who spoke through his Anambra State Chairman, Elder Chris Eluemuno, alleged that Buhari, while still the Head of State, masterminded the execution of a teenage boy for allegedly smoking Indian hemp at Enugu and also imprisoned the first Vice president of Nigeria, Chief Alex Ekwueme for carrying coal.

“I can vividly remember that when Buhari was the military Head of state, he ordered for 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 sentence penalty on Indian hemp and back dated it to accommodate the boy for an offence that was then six months imprisonment for anybody convicted”, Eluemunoh claimed, adding that “He 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 added that the opposition political party, APC has no Igbo/Nigerian agenda on its party manifestoes, unlike PDP/Jonathan full of greater alternatives to Ndigbo and Nigeria generally.              

His words: “Aside President Jonathan’s marvelous achievements so glaring for everybody to see, he is an Igbo man with full Igbo blood, him and his family have Igbo connection and heritage”.

The Anambra State Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo made the postulations while receiving an award of “Exemplary Leadership Award from Leadership and ROLE Model FOUNDATION OF Nigeria”, held at East –End hotel Awka, Anambra state capital.