Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former Governor of Anambra State in this interview on Arise Television, speaks about the primary elections of the two major political parties, how the South-East region was not fairly treated, why God wants to use Peter Obi to fix Nigeria, among other issues

You have always clamoured for a president of South-East extraction, what are your thoughts on the political happenings in the country?

When there is no conscience in politics, there will be no principle and without principle, there will be no consistency. The South-East elders said that we don’t want to take the vice presidential position. We have said it that what we want is the president and now that we haven’t got it from the major parties, we don’t want them to give us vice president either. We worked for president sloth and as it is now, we are not unlucky, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), have reached their highest levels. The highest bidders have taken everything and our people are not among the highest bidders because we make money from their sweat. We are not regretting too much about what happened because too many things have gone wrong even from among ourselves. Our leadership has not been clear and they have not been strong enough to introduce discipline in the behaviours of our political parties. You can say that the APC didn’t give us and the PDP didn’t give us, even though we have been sacrificial for the PDP, we got something from the Labour Party. God knows what his plans are; the desire of God for Nigeria is greatness. The manpower and material resources that God has given to Nigeria is enormous. Something must happen; God has taken over Nigeria to impose his will, to dominate over man’s mess up. This is how I see what is going on but I am not a prospect.

Since you ruled out APC and PDP, what is God’s desire for Nigeria?

I think that we are coming out of certain politics to something more relevant, more developmental and more positive in Nigeria. You can see some people rejoicing as though they will make personal gain from what is unveiling. If Peter Obi becomes the president of Nigeria, you will hear many people jubilating and dancing about a new dawn because there will be no Almajiri’s anymore. Almajiri will be eliminated. There will be no urban talakawas anymore. Nobody has the destiny of poverty. Nigeria will explode in economic development. Peter Obi can fix Nigeria and it is not for the benefit of Ndigbo alone. Some people don’t understand that Peter Obi is a gift from God to all Nigerians. The Fulani will be happy and will not want to dominate anybody. The same thing will go to other different groups and this is a turning point for our country. I am happy to tell anybody who is listening that a change is coming. We are talking about a new Nigeria, and that new Nigeria is being manifested.

Peter Obi is your ex-candidate, how is he going to win the South-East, will Ohanaeze Ndigbo endorse him? Umahi has already said that the vote in Ebonyi is for Tinubu, what can you say about that?

We have issues with leadership that can impose discipline. Umahi is my personal friend, every Christmas he brings rice to my house but you know that there are people who don’t understand the ABC of Nigeria politics. Umahi decamped from the PDP and I saw him in the house of Pius Anyim when he came to lobby Pius Anyim to join him. Pius refused and instead of him thinking about why Pius refused, he still joined the APC. How many people followed him to APC? Now Umahi as governor and even chairman of governor’s forum came out directly against the interest of his people. I have read so many things about him, how he brought in people who killed his people. This time around, I think I will appeal to him; I may have to go personally to him and tell him to recant. The statement that he has made will not take him anywhere. His position will not help Nigeria. We are more interested in emancipation of blacks and this is why God gave us these things that he has given to us. If a person in the position of the chairman of governor’s forum in the South-East should say that people should not vote for Peter Obi, he is talking for himself. He should withdraw the statement fast. We are prayer people and very soon you will hear of an Igbo coordinated prayer, seeking God to forgive us all our trespasses, help this country and lift the position of the black race all over the world. The blacks need to be emancipated to take their positions in the world. Look at the way people are being killed in Ukraine, and this is not why God created us. When Nigeria takes its rightful position in the scheme of things in the world everyone will know that black life matters. Fighting and killing ourselves in Nigeria is not why God created us, but to help deliver blacks in the world and we are about to start.

Beyond the issue of the president of South-East extraction, what are your thoughts about the political process, some people have expressed concerns about religion and monetization of the process. Can you share your views?

I came to Nigeria as an Igbo man; I didn’t choose to be an Igbo man, or to be a Christian. I didn’t choose to be a Christian either. My friend Mustapha, arrived in Kano, he didn’t choose to be a Fulani or Hausa. He didn’t also choose to be a Muslim but these things are done by God who all of us worship. How does it feel to go and start fighting people? I invited Miyetti Allah members here, people who are independent minded. We didn’t have further meetings because I didn’t have money for air fare and accommodation. I would like a situation where we will begin to think away from ethnicity. If I say that I am Igbo, who made me Igbo? God did. I didn’t know I was going to be Igbo. I also arrived as a Christian, I didn’t influence that. If you take the Koran and read it clearly, and if you take the Bible and read it clearly, you will find that there is no serious difference between the two holy books. I don’t think that we should kill ourselves because of religion and tribe, and reduce our positions all in the name of politics. God gave us tremendous human resources from many tribes but lack of leadership has made it difficult for us to realize where we belong. When you lose conscience, you will notice comprehensive corruption everywhere. We have been saying that we want a president of South-East extraction; many of our delegates didn’t vote for the South-East aspirants because of money. Again talk about the state of the economy, there is so much poverty in the land. Bullion vans were carrying money to the event areas. The dollars that they were sharing was effective enough to affect the dollar rate in Nigeria. My friend, the former Vice President, unleashed dollars on the delegates in the PDP and in APC, my friend Bola Tinubu unleashed dollars there. I learnt that he sponsored some people to buy nomination forms for N100 million and when the time came, they stepped down for him. I contributed to Tinubu becoming a governor in Lagos State. Tinubu was the only person who supported me financially when they kidnapped my wife. I am not saying anything personal against him, but if I have a vote I will not vote for him. The Yoruba and the Igbo are the major reason we have a problem in Nigeria because they misunderstood themselves since 1952. If the Yoruba and the Igbo are to understand themselves all this domination of Nigerians by any group will stop. The Yoruba and the Igbo should wake up. I think that the time for melting has come. Let Nigerians take advantage of what God has given us, let the Igbo and Yoruba integrate, work together. Let the Fulani know that they are a minority. The Igbo and Yoruba should know that we need the Fulani because they have strategic thinking ability, they have a special role to play for the success of Nigeria. Every group is important and no group that can walk out of Nigeria’s system that is effective. I am appealing to Nigerians to pray so that we stop making fool of ourselves and the entire God given gift to us. We need a change in Nigeria and that change is coming. (Daily Independent)

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