Leading Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Wednesday, warned the Igbos against endorsing any presidential aspirant from outside the region.
DAILY POST reports that the warning came amid a purported endorsement of the All Progressives Congress, APC, leader and presidential aspirant, Ahmed Bola Tinubu by a certain Miracle Nwosu.
Addressing a press briefing in Enugu, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said the fellow behind the said endorsement does not exist in Igboland.
Okwu, who was visibly enraged, said no sensible Igbo man could have talked of endorsement of any aspirant even when political parties were yet to conduct their primary elections.
“Today, we decided to address the media owing to a series of calls and enquiries, which borders on the purported endorsement of Bola Tinubu by a certain phoney character, who gave his name as Miracle Nwosu.
“This came to us as a surprise, more so, when every check showed that no such person has ever existed in Ohanaeze or in Igbo land as a whole, but is a character created out of desperation to hoodwink the unsuspecting members of the public.
“We are very much aware that all the political parties are still in the process of choosing their flag-bearers. In that case, it is absolutely weird for anyone to endorse any aspirant.
“It is clear that some jobbers and dubious characters have swindled the APC presidential aspirant using a fictitious character”, Okwu said, declaring that, “Ndigbo are not known to be visionless as portrayed by the fellow in the said press statement.”
He warned that “we have already set up a committee to find out those behind this hatchet job and they will sooner than later hear from us. We will not sit by and watch anyone, no matter how highly placed, truncate the Igbo presidency project.
“I will also advise politicians to shine their eyes and avoid falling prey to serial dupes who are going about in the name of all manner of endorsements.
“We advise the APC national leader, Tinubu, to seek a refund of his money from wherever this endorsement was procured because it does not exist anywhere,” Okwu stated.
