Godwin Tsa Abuja
As the campaign to produce a president of an Igbo extraction by 2023 gathers momentum, a senior lawyer, Oba Maduabuchi (SAN) has warned that the ongoing rift between Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state and the former governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha is capable of defeating the project.
The senior lawyer who spoke with Daily Sun further noted that what the Igbos needs now more than anything else, is to close ranks and unite together in pursuit of the presidency.
He said the feasibility of a president of an Igbo extraction, will depend on how the Igbos carry themselves with other regions in pursuit of the presidency.
Maduabuchi however expressed worry over the current fight between Governor Uzodinma of Imo state and Senator Okorocha saying it is capable of derailing and defeating the presidency project.
He said, “Senator Rochas Okorocha wants to be president, he said it openly. But who is fighting him? It is the Imo state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma. I am Okorocha’s lawyer and I can confidently tell you that even the former governor, Emeka Ihedioha, who is from a different political party, did not fight Okorocha as much as Uzodinma is fighting him. And Okorocha wants to be president and the first person fighting him and making sure he does not contest for the presidency is an Igbo governor. Is it how we are going to produce the president?
Governor Uzodinma is bent on thwarting Okorocha’s Presidential ambition by making sure that he goes to jail. As we speak, Okorocha has been subjected to all manner of investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and several other probe panels over alleged financial infractions during his tenure as Governor.
This also includes the Judicial Commission on Lands and Related Matters, the panel to investigate the activities of ISOPADEC; the panel to investigate the status of the newly established Tertiary institutions; members of the investigative committee for financial transactions in Imo State; Committee for the Review of appointments recruitments and related matters from 2015 till date and the Committee for the investigation of LGA, etc, all in an attempt to send him to jail at all cost.
Another potential Presidential candidate of Igbo extraction is former governor of Ananmbra state, Mr. Peter Obi. He will make a fantastic president. When he was governor, he used to carry his own bag and stand in the line. He used to fly on commercial flights. When I was doing cases for the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Peter Obi will sit down and be giving out money to people. Not that you will write bills and bring and he will dole out money. No! Peter will sit down, if you say your money is N50, 000, he will give you N50, 000. He will make a very good president. Anambra, since he left, it has gone dead. During Obi’s tenure, he constructed a network of roads. He is one former governor who is visible and the EFCC is not looking for him. He became rich by being governor, but he didn’t touch people’s money. He used his ambiance of being governor and make himself better. That’s how a reasonable man behaves.
Now Peter Obi wants to be president, and the Igbos are proping up Alhahi Atiku Abubakar. They are saying Atiku should contest again. Is that how we are going to produce a president? Senator Bola Tinubu has just opened his Presidential campaign office in Abuja. He is organizing, he has offices in all the states as we speak. How are we doing it? We don’t give presidency in bear parlours. It’s not like ‘Mama Ngozi give us pepper soup’
That is not how you become president. It happened in Jos, when the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme was supposed to be president. We were sitting in bear parlours and asking Ngozi to give us a bottle of gulder, ‘we are going to deal with these people, by tomorrow, Ekwueme will floor Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.But Obasanjo was busy collecting all the delegates and lodging them at Zaranda Hotel, while we were busy winning over some bottles of gulder and Henikean. The next day, everybody turned and started blaming Chief Jim Nwobodo. And in any case, Jim did the normal Igbo thing, he spoke in Huasa language that everybody should vote Obasanjo. Is that how we will produce president.
The Igbos must come together as brothers and sisters
Good comment by SAN, I feel it is better for people without much blemish (nobody is without blemish anyway) to come out and be chosen. People who had corrupt deals while in public service that know can go to jail if probed should be discouraged from jumping out to be Igbo presidents. They are the real people who want to deny Igbos the opportunity. I am sure that if anybody wants to probe Peter Obi, Ngige, Ogbonnaya Onu, Dave Umahi today, they would willingly want to clear their good names, without hiding under victimisation. Any one who has serious case against him should first clear himself before jumping out to lead again, more especially when 2023 is still far away.