We don’t regret not supporting Buhari – Ohanaeze

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, said yesterday, that it had no regrets not

supporting the ambition of the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, who won the March 28, 2015 presidential poll.

Ohanaeze also flayed the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, over the death threat he allegedly issued to Igbo people residing in Lagos before the governorship election.

Speaking in an interview in Awka, the national treasurer of the group, Chief Damian Ogene, said the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation supported President Goodluck Jonathan because of what he described as Buhari’s negative antecedents to Ndigbo.

According to him, the rejection of Buhari during the presidential poll is to remind him of the injustices perpetrated against Igbo during his earlier tenure as military Head of State.

He, however, said that since God had given Buhari an opportunity to be a democratic President of Nigeria, he should strive to right his earlier wrongs.

Ogene said:  “We are ready to co-operate with him and to believe in his administration in the hope that he will, this time, address the injustices meted out to us since after the Nigerian civil war.”

He also advised the President-elect to deal only with the core people in Igbo land, rather than with the money-bags that were out of touch with Igbo nation and the masses.

“These billionaires have been using their oil money to block government from reaching the people at the grassroots level.

“He should liaise with people-oriented organisations like Anambra Association of Town Unions, ASATU, rather than with intermediaries,” he said.

He suggested to General Buhari to ensure that Igbo people, who were displaced in the northern part of the country due to the Boko Haram insurgency, received compensation as their northern counterparts, in the spirit of equity and justice.

FILE PHOTO: President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, (middle) flanked by APC National Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, APC Chieftain and former Goverinor, Chief Ogbonnaya Ono, Eze Ndi Igbo Suleja, Amb (Dr.) Igwe Collins Chibueze Okoli, Uche Eginti Eze Udo, President General Igbo delegates Assembly (IDA) of the19 Northern States, Chief Damian Sunny Inyamah and others. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE