The Igbo delegates who participated in the recent presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been called saboteurs of the Southeast’s effort to produce Nigeria’s next leader in 2023 by notable elder statesmen.

Igbo Elders Consultative Forum officials, led by former Anambra governor Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, accused the delegates of stoking their nests by essentially betraying their Igbo brethren and supporting candidates from other areas out of financial considerations.

They pointed out that, in the case of the APC presidential primaries, the five South-Eastern states had roughly 389 delegates or votes, but shamelessly allocated only 40 of them to Igbo presidential hopefuls.

Records show that of the 389 Igbo delegates to the APC presidential primary, 39 came from Ebonyi State, 100 from Imo, 100 from Anambra, 100 from Abia, and 50 from Enugu. However, delegates from Ebonyi State cast 39 of the 40 votes. 38 to Governor David Umahi, one each to Ogbonnaya Onu and Emeka Nwajiuba, and one more.

In order to avoid jeopardizing the Igbos’ bid for the presidency in 2023, the Igbo Elders pledged to punish their sons and daughters who betrayed the Southeast during the presidential primaries. They said in a statement released on Friday night by Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, the Forum’s Secretary.

“Shocking and saddening was the betrayal and unrestrained collusion of some disloyal Igbo sons and daughters who shamelessly and unrepentantly joined others who do not mean well for our people to deny President contenders from the South East their support and votes,” the statement said in part.

The Southern Governors Forum, Southern and Middle Belt Forum, Afenifere, Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, Ohaneze Global, among other credible and vocal stakeholders who demanded that the Presidency be zoned to the South, and further micro zoned to the South East, worked and voted for Dollar and lucre at the expense of their fellow aspirants from the South East.

“With the exception of Ebonyi State, other delegates from Anambra, Abia, Enugu, and Imo States, as well as their sponsors, need to explain to ndi igbo who they sold their votes to and at what cost at the price of our joint interest in electing the president of Nigeria in 2023,” they said.

The Forum vowed that the Southeast delegate’s acts were against the Igbos’ collective interests and that they would regret them forever.

This won’t happen again because a new leadership would be provided by the Igbo Elders, strengthening the Ohanaeze leadership in Igbo nation.

“Those betrayals will depart from politics in disgrace and without fanfare since they will never once more serve as representatives of the South East in any official capacity,” they concluded. (Vanguard)

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