The Ohaneze Youth Council, OYC has roundly kicked against divisive statements against His Excellency Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi as well as actions and inactions of some Igbo people making rounds in the media as concerns what makes up the Igbo race and who ought speak in issues of the race in terms of geographical locations in Nigeria vis-a-vis 2023 Igbo Presidency.
In a swift reaction to the misunderstanding of who and what makes up the Igbo race, the National President of Ohaneze Youth Council, OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka over the weekend in Owerri stressed that Igbo race is not determined or ascertained by state or region creation but by traits of Igbo blood which existed before the geographical divisions and amalgamation.
According to him, “Anybody from the Igbo extraction in Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers states, Benue and environs are qualified to talk about Igbo issues as it concerns them as well as vie for presidential positions as the case may be in 2023 general elections to represent the Igbos because they are of Igbo race”
“Any Igbo man anywhere is an Igbo man irrespective of the locality he finds himself, whether Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Imo or Ebonyi and more but the Igbo project is strictly on Igbo presidency come 2023; so it can come from any state of Igbo extraction”
Igboayaka frowned at the verbal attacks on Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi’s (Rivers State) stance on Igbo presidency on grounds of his Igbo identity, noting that he is a bona-fide Igbo man and qualified to speak on or seek Igbo Presidency.
Comrade Igboayaka noted that the right Former Governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi has as an Igbo man in the project of Nigeria presidency of Igbo extraction is the same and equal right Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi has as an Igbo man, stressing that any verbal attack at Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi is an attack against Ndigbo via Igbo presidency. It’s a mental Northern slavery for anyone to say that the Ubima people are not Igbos.
OYC noted that such political discord will not be tolerated again by Igbo youths anymore as the whole scenario risks bungling Igbos shot at Nigeria’s seat of power.
“Anyone who segregate Ndigbo among our brothers in Rivers, Cross River, Akwaibom, Edo, Kogi, Benue, Delta and Balyelsa must be dealt with and Ostracized”
“That Amaechi is from Rivers State does not negate the fact that he is an Igbo man and as such has the same right the people from South Eastern states (Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi) have”
The Front line Socio-cultural Igbo Youth Council charged pro-Igbo groups to properly sensitise the members on what the main Igbo project is, and not fan the embers of disunity among the Igbo race based on statements, actions or inactions of some Igbo leaders or people in the past.
The Ohaneze Youth Council emphasized that it is not yet too late to get things right for the betterment of Ndigbo hence the full support of all Igbo people for Igbo Presidency come 2023 General Elections.
