By Emmanuel Aziken
LAGOS—President Goodluck Jonathan has lauded the support given his presidential bid by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, saying the group had put to shame the divisive plot of some of his rivals to divide and rule the Igbo race for their selfish goals.

The president also welcomed the endorsement given his 2011 presidential aspirations by Igbo professionals resident in Lagos, describing their endorsement as objective and nationalistic.

President Jonathan spoke through a press statement authored by Mr. Sully Abu, the Publicity Secretary of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization.

The ringing endorsement of President Jonathan by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan Igbo Socio- Cultural Organization, has been the source of rancour by some other eminent Igbos who have questioned the endorsement given the promise of some other Northern presidential candidates to help actualise a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction in 2015.

Among those who have promised this are Atiku Abubakar and Gen. Ibrahim Babangida of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive, Change, CPC.

Responding to the endorsement given President Jonathan by Ohanaeze and Igbo Professionals, Mr. Abu said  “Ohanaeze and the Igbo professionals are pointing the way to the Nigeria of our dreams where leadership is determined by competence rather than ethnicity”.

Urging Nigerians not to be deceived by those he claimed are using primordial sentiments to divide the polity, he said:

“The endorsement of Jonathan by these patriots has put paid to the devious machinations of those divide-and-rule politicians who think they can hoodwink our Igbo brethren by dangling fake carrots, even when their antecedents are full of broken promises.”

He thus called on all political aspirants to emulate President Jonathan in embracing an issue-based campaign devoid of ethnic rancour and acrimony.