Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha has taken a swipe at the leadership of Igbo sociocultural organization Ohanaeze Ndigbo over its recent endorsement of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar ahead of next month’s presidential election.
Governor Okorocha, who expressed his displeasure in a press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, remarked that Ohanaeze is not a registered political party and does not have a voting unit or polling booth to deliver to Atiku.
“Its adoption of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be seen as a folklore and should not give anybody concern. The adoption is neither here nor there, since it has no electoral value,” the statement read.
The governor stated that it was not the first time the Igbo pressure group had adopted a PDP presidential candidate, recalling that it did so in 2015 yet failed with its presidential candidate, with the APC winning the election.
“One would have expected Ohanaeze to exercise caution this time following what happened in 2015. Indeed, the organization should have done things differently, especially when it remembers that all Igbos, whether in PDP, APC, APGA, ADC or SDP, are presumed to be members of Ohanaeze,” he stated.
The governor concluded that, “not minding the adoption, President Muhammadu Buhari will win in the South-East and the general election proper. So, Igbos in APC should remain focused and not make the adoption an issue…”
