Igbos have set aside their differences with the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and pledged to work for him, says foremost cultural group, Ohanaeze.
The group also urged Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi to accept the outcome of the February 25th presidential election in good fate.
Ohanaeze’s Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro condemned the call by a group known as Igbo Patriotic Forum and Elders Forum that Tinubu should not be inaugurated until the tribunal decides the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
Isiguzoro said Ohanaeze will continue to support Tinubu’s presidency until a court of competent jurisdiction says otherwise.
He said Peter Obi is a candidate for the future and should not derail Tinubu’s ambition. “At this point in time, we will not associate with Igbos saying Asiwaju should not be sworn in on May 29,” he said.
“Ohanaeze, after due consultations with Southeast governors, Igbo elders, Ime-Obi, and the general assembly in Enugu decided to caution all stakeholders in the Igbo project to be careful of their utterances and not to portray Ndigbos as being against Tinubu because of the consequences of such actions which would fall back on our shoulders and Igbo populace who are mainly traders, leaving outside Igbo speaking states. The majority of them are in the Southwest, particularly in Lagos State.”
He said Ohanaeze has nothing to lose by letting the swearing in take place and those calling for an interim government are very satanic and evil and do not represent the interest of Ndigbos.”
He added: “That is their own opinion, but Ohanaeze will attend his inauguration and not pick a fight with the President-elect.
“The position of Ohanaeze is very clear; we will continue to support whoever INEC declares as the president, and with the full backing of the Igbo governors with Rivers State, Ohanaeze is calling on those agitating for an interim government to drop it, it’s satanic.
“We are saying everybody should support Tinubu’s inauguration, but that does not stop them from doing their work. We are calling on all our 52 affiliated bodies that Ime-Obi has mandated that every agitation for the 2023 election should end because Ndigbo has moved on.
He charged the LP presidential candidate to start building meaningful bridges ahead of the next election.
“Peter Obi is the candidate of the future, nobody should use this election to create enmity because Igbos and Yorubas, nobody should pick up a fight they can’t finish against Tinubu. Igbo traders across the country would fill the heat of the proclamation of some so-called elders.”
