Igbo youths on Saturday said that Igbos will reject the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in the February 14 presidential election.
The youths, under the aegis of Ohanaeze Youth Movement for Justice and Development (OYMJD), said that Buhari’s maltreatment of former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme in the aftermath of the 1983 coup, was a clear display of his aversion for the Igbo and his disregard for the race.
The group, in a statement signed by its president, Comrade Phillips Igweneme and Secretary, Comrade Uchenna Anihiru, further stated that the former head of state’s decision to keep Ekwueme in detention at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, while his boss, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, was kept under house arrest, was not only unfair but a show of Buhari’s height of nepotism.
According to the youth group, the Ndigbo had been fairly treated under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that the Igbos could only move to greater heights if they supported Jonathan.
The statement read in part: “We are however constrained to sound a clear note of warning to Ndigbo worldwide that the man Buhari has never been a friend of the Igbo in deed and action over the years.
“We make bold to say that his decision to lock up our revered leader, Dr Alex Ekwueme, the former Vice President of Nigeria in Kirikiri maximum Prisons after his 1983 coup, while keeping the leader of the overthrown government, Alhaji Shehu Shagari in a cozy atmosphere called house arrest, showcased the height of his hatred for the Igbo.
“It is on record that Ekwueme’s only sin for deserving such maltreatment by Buhari was because he was Igbo. It is also on record that Dr Ekwueme contracted a number of health challenges that have continued to dog his old age.
“The greatest sin a man can commit against another man is to denigrate his humanity in the mould of slavery of yesteryears, subjugate and dehumanize him. Why must Ekwueme who never oversaw any ministry, department or agency of government be the one to carry the can of the corruption in Shagari’s government when his boss was alive and well?”
The group further asked Ndigbo to keep faith with President Jonathan, whom it said had rekindled the hope of the Igbos in the Nigerian nation.
“Under President Jonathan’s watch, the Igbo have produced the Chief of Army Staff, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Deputy President of Senate, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy among many other top appointments”.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate