The traditional ruler of Ihim autonomous community in Isiala Mbano local government area, Imo state, Eze Oliver Ohanwe, Sunday called on the Igbo political leaders to brace up for 2023 presidency.

The monarch, who spoke to newsmen in Owerri, said that he was justified in his call for Ndigbo to back Buhari’s second term, agenda. He also pleaded with Buhari to use his re-election for another four years to address the issues which Nigerians bitterly complained.

The Imo monarch, highlighted some of the areas, the Buhari’s administration needed to give immediate attention, “Regular power supply; job creation; security, improved ICT; agricultural revolution as well as sustaining the war against corruption.

It was his view that Southeast region should stop playing “clannish” style of politics and that it was for this reason the region has continued to suffer politically compared to other geo-political regions in the country.

He recalled that, “Igbos have not learnt anything from the political mistake they made in 1979 by given maximum support to NPP instead of NPN as a national party as well as in 2015 when the political wind of change was blowing in favour of APC but they stick to PDP despite her glaring dwindling fortune and similarly when the Presidential odds favoured APC in 2019.

He further said: “I was abused by some eminent Igbo sons and daughters, some politicians after insulting me even cast aspersions on me, all because of my support for Buhari and his administration, some of them accused me of being anti-Igbo. I was highly misunderstood.

“The truth is that I am a man that sees tomorrow, I understand Nigeria politics, the intrigues and the power play. I have worked, done businesses and lived in virtually all the geo-political regions of the country, so I know the peoples mind sets.

“That Buhari won his closet rival, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP with over 3.5 million votes, shows that President Buhari is still popular. Our people were deceived by the antics of the social media.

“All over the world no conduct of an election have been declared perfect and that if proper investigations are carried out you will discover that all the major contenders are guilty of one of the electoral offences or the other.”

On his thinking about Nigeria having a president of Igbo extraction, Ohanwe said: “Ndigbo should start now to strategize ahead of 2023 and be committed in bridge building and weeping of sentiment so that it will be easy to get Nigerian President of Igbo extraction then.

“I advised President Buhari not to discriminate against any ethnic group as he promised in his presidential victory speech and to run an all inconclusive administration.Buhari should use his second tenure to correct the wrongs people complained of and give priority attention to issues.”

•Sourced from The Vanguard report

•President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, receive Certificate of Return from INEC on their re-election in Abuja. 27th, February 2019.

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