By Chioma GABRIEL
The former President-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Ikedife, Honourable Chidi Duru of House of Representatives and Dr Okey Umeano of All Progressive Grand Alliance have reacted to the news report that quoted Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Emeka Ojukwu to have warned against the outbreak of another civil war should Anambra Governor, Peter Obi be excluded from contesting 2010 guber election.
Dr. Dozie Ikedife told Saturday Vanguard that he did not believe Ojukwu said that and must have been qouted out of context.
“ Ojukwu did not say that. I don’t believe he said that. He is being accused of saying what he did not say. He only warned that the situation in Anambra state should not be allowed to deteriorate to a situation of chaos that could lead to war because he ,Ikemba, would not want another civil war.
It was just a warning so that people should be careful over how they handle very sensitive issues pertaining to Anambra election. Ojukwu is a respectful leader but the mere fact that he mentioned war was misinterpreted and misconstrued to mean something else and that has been attracting adverse comments. Nobody is going to war! We have seen enough war in the past and won’t fight another one. And Ikemba never said there would be war.
“ I don’t know how the rumour of the probability that the appeal court would rule in favour of somebody against a case already decided by the Supreme court came about but my position is that we should wait for the court to deliver judgement on the matter before making our comments.
A case is in court and judgement is not delivered yet and therefore we should not comment until judgement is given on the case.
A case in court should not be commented on in a public arena and we hope the judgement that will emanate will lead us to our expectation. This exercise of April Fool that was the 2007 gubernatorial election in Anambra state had already been declared a nullity by the supreme court. The election shouldn’t have held in the first place and that is the issue.
But since an appeal is in court, we should wait and hear what the court will say before reacting.”
Also commenting on the Ikemba utterance, a former member of the House of Representative, Honourable Chidi Duru said it is wrong to comment on a matter that has not been decided on by the court.
“ It is not good. I am a lawyer and we should not preempt the court judgement. Ikemba Nnewi is a respectful Nigerians leader. I don’t believe he said what was attributed to him.We should be very careful about the situation in Anambra state and whatever comes out of that case in court, we should not take the law into our own hands but trust the judiciary to do their work.”
The state chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra state ,Dr Okey Umeano equally expressed dismay over Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu’s statement on Anambra crisis.
Dr Umeano in an interview with Saturday Vanguard said Igbo would not be dragged into any controversy of war by anybody anymore, saying the people should feel safe and not be disturbed by Ikemba’s utterance.
“The people are safe .They are not going to be dragged into any war because Ojukwu s link to Anambra treasury is about to be severe red. We are not in the 1960s . No blind man can deceive our people again.. Maybe Peter Obi should bring his children back from London to go to war with the tired general who has refused to retire. The peace-loving people of Anambra state or even Nigeria will not go to war.”
The State APGA chairman went further to accuse the factional chairman of the party, Sir Victor Umeh of kicking off the propaganda of war even before Ojukwu.
“ It was desperate Victor Umeh who started singing the song of war even before Ojukwu..You see, this is the reaction of game players whose game is coming to an end. Politics is supposed to be played without bitterness but in Anambra state, you see political jobbers in the game. Because our votes don’t count here for us who have been in the game for good, we do not mind when we lose in a clean competition.
“My advice is that people should not play God and should allow God’s time. It should not be a do or die affair.
“Kidnaping is new around here. It came from the Niger-Delta. I feel strongly that it is this way because of the inability of the current government to conduct Local Government elections and also to empower the young people. So we plead with our politicians to avoid the use of violence to achieve ends since nobody has the monopoly of violence.”
Nigerians always interpret issues wrongly without soberly reflecting on the substantive aspect of the profound issue raised “Ojukwu”. Not everyone has the ability to balance the utterances of the living legend “Ojukwu”.
When he said that he will go to war, he never told anyone that he will return to the battle field with artilleries and bombs. There are many way to define wars. When “Ojukwu” talks about war, it can be judicial war, it can be “sit-at-home” (peaceful demonstration) it can be something else. There are many ways to fight injustices without laying hands on arms. “Ojukwu” have been fighting injustices through the court, and have vowed to continue until justice is attained.
However, when you chose a political leader through a “do-or-die affair, what does that mean? Are we not fighting war already? Today, an oil producing country is buying petrol at the rate of #104 per liter and we think that war is not in Nigeria. When “Obasanjo” made that comment of “do-or-die”, even the so called Igbo leaders were praising him. Today, the soup prepared by “Obasanjo” is done and everybody is complaining. If people like “Ojukwu” do not fight against injustices, I wonder who will fight for justice for the common man. The so called bunch of disgraces that parades themselves as Igbo political leaders are the worst thing to happen to the Igbo nation. Shameless people that prostrates to their academic inferiors in Abuja should not think that “Ojukwu” will ever be part of them.
Who is the state chairman of (faction)APGA anambra,which APGA is that…APGA of Abuja…of Chekwas okorie,nonesense!
Anyone whoever tries to discredit or insult IKEMBA is not worth living,and am sure this is the position of 95percent of Igbo people. This so called umeano does not know the origin of APGA and the idea of its formation,he hangs around and looking for butter and bread from pdp in the name of APGA.
You are afraid of going to war,whos interest are you fronting when you are belonging to a faction when you cannot obey your senior and people who tought you how to stand up…you chose to be used to disorganise the only true igbo party because of your short sighted ambitions at pdp cake.
Again,vanguard should stop refering political thugs and harlots as Igbo leaders,anybody who cannot speak for igbo in a welcome manner is just but a disgrace to igbo – we must be ourselves and resist being used by otta farm.
The yorubas threatened war during June 12,and caused nigeria a lot of loss and pains…the north used sharia to kill many southerners in kaduna during obasanjos govt,but you never heared any yoruba condemning any of its fellow…but because you are contracted by igbo enemies for a pay or being given a promise. RUBBISH!!
There was a serious mistake from P D P in Anambra as the party was totally confused about how to win in that state. They messed their administration up by picking one candidate and then nullifying his candidacy by picking another person over and over. During this scramble to get somebody to win in Anambra state the P D P was not positive in their approach. They ( P D P ) became confused and panicked.
In the same vein there is an allegation that Dim Ikemba of Nnewi was
issuing war threat if chief Uba is returned to rule Anambra without due
process. If Dim Ojukwu’s allegation is anything to go by then the P D P
as a party may have incited the old veteran to say something innocuous.
Ikemba 1, the Ojukwu that i use to hear from my tender age, how strong and mighty, my able general. Yes u are a great man but do not allow your greatness to pop your head, there are bad advisers who may mislead u, i dont think a man of TIMBER and CALIBER can say such but if YOU did, it better be a joke because we will not fight again. You all have your political reasons for fighting war, if not for finance then it is for appointment. My dear YOUTHS of our GREAT Nation, do not be pushed by my HERO “OJUKWU” because you stand a chance to loose. His children and children of his colleagues are abroad. Well if they want war, their children should be at the fore front. The bush meat that escaped from the hands of the hunter never escapes from the bush.. Youths oye!! Nzogbu nzogbu.. Enyimba enyi.. Let politics play itself not war to play politcs
Everybody in Nigeria uses the term WAR to qualify their metaphor of a harbinger of things. While he was President of Nigeria,Obasanjo used the term WAR hundreds of times to address the NLC,ASUU,Federation of Nigerian Students,Federal Civil servants,in reference to his disputes with Atiku,During the recovery of over $1 billion dollars from the Abacha family,with the Niger Delta militants,and indeed at all Nigerians during his failed 3rd term saga.Why should Nigeria shiver when Ojukwu uses the term at the age of 79 years? When he has no political power to actually do anything ?
Dr Umeano,you are a sabotage,i hate having ppl like you in igbo land,last time i red a story concern an alhaji in abakiliki threating jihad,then yuradua and sultan summon govnor elechi.even if ojukwu threat of war,u guys should not condemn him because nigerian is not ur safe heaven and upon intimadition igbos are gotting from nigeria,u still call ur broda a threat to peace in nigeria,u guys are fools,igbo keep on selling ur self the market still open to buy…………………
Dr. Ikedife should condemn Ojukwu over his war rants. Ojukwu is an elder statesman that should always mind his language. He should be playing a father figure role or an advisory role as an elder in as much as we know that he’s an APGA Chiefain. This is an Anambra issue and should be treated as brotherly dispute. I do know why war should be mentioned in the first place. Is it Nnewi/Ugo war that ojukwu doesn’t want to fight again? How ever Ikedife wants to interprete what Ojukwu said, in my own humble opinion Ojukwu was wrong. Ikedife should get his facts right on the Supreme court pronouncement. The supreme court never nullified 2007 Anambra Governorship election because they do not have jurisdictional right to do so. ‘INEC ought not to have conducted elction as the governorship seat was not vacant when election was conducted’ as said by d Supreme Court in Peter Obi’s tenure elongation judegement is an ‘orbiter’ & doesn’t mean dat they nulllified Andy Uba’s election as perceived by some people. Supreme court has no jurisdictional right 2 nullify Governrship election. D statement made by supreme court is not bound on d Court of appeal as they re d only court in d land dat has d final decision on Guber electoral matters. The apex court in its judgement emphatically said that the judgment as per Aderemi JSC, at page 40 of his reason for the Jun 14, 2007, judgement delivered on July 13, 2007, said “for the avoidance of doubt, this judgement affects the office of the Governor of Anambra state alone”, and certainly did not sit on appeal of the election of April 2007, as some people have erroneously argued. The essence of the apex court judgement, was in the word of Justice Aderemi “… to enable the plaintiff/appellant (Mr Peter Obi) to exhaust his term of office” and not because the apex court voided or annulled the election, as they have no power to do so and never did.
Get at the roots of the endless political crisis in Anambra state. There are so many people and so many interest groups lumped up in just one state alone. Therefore resources cannot meet the developmental aspirations of groups; also, indviduals and groups cannot easily realise their political aspirations when compared to people and groups in many other states in the federation. This situation is not different from what is on the ground in Imo state.
Igbo leaders need to pursue the substance and not shadows. They either pursue fiscal federalism in Nigeria or get the National Assembly activate creating new state/states in these areas.
your are an idiot because obi did not carry you along with anambra money your saying useless talking. whatever you want talk ikemba is the most repected person in nigeria and an igbo race IKEMBER GOOOOOOOOO!!! WE SUPPORTED YOU.
Ojukwu said something and everyone is shaking, the truth is everything in Nigeria points to a break up of the country. Statistics are clear through evidence. Hausa/Fulani & Yoruba North are not good leaders in Nigeria. They are just brutal and tribalistic. So now i wonder why no other tribes are allowed to come into power? How can a situation in Anambra, Niger Delta, Borno and other places be allowed to go on like this? How can a leader not look to improve the lot of his people?
Look at how UK, US build around their future leaders, ours is just to destroy, loot and deprive. We are heading for disaster if things doing turn around and soon too. Government should create business and literally hand over to people. Build stores, businesses and allow people pay over 25 years like in UK, Canada. Or we would just be struggling as a people to come out as people that donate tax to government.