Apex Igbo socio-political organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is free to seek votes from the South East ahead of the 2023 election.
Recall that an Igbo group, Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL), had asked promoters of the Tinubu Presidency to keep off the South East zone while the Vice President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ichie Damian Okeke-Ogene also described the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu’s decision to pick a fellow Muslim as his Vice Presidential candidate for the 2023 election as a serious threat to the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.
Ohanaeze Youth National President, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, in a statement on Friday, August 12, 2022 said it was unjustifiable for any person to ban Tinubu or any other person from soliciting for votes in the South East and warned COSEYL against stoking unnecessary political tension in the zone.
He said Ohanaeze would not sit by and watch any form of divisive politics, which he described as the major factor that has kept Nigeria down for such a very long time.
The statement reads in part: “every Nigerian reserved the right to campaign for candidates of their choice, by marketing such a person convincingly to the electorate.
“Politics of bitterness and acrimony will not take Nigeria anywhere, especially as the country is presently operating at its lowest ebb.
“There is no doubt that the country has never been this divided and this is why campaigns should be on issues and not ethnicity.
“Having said this, we make bold to say that Tinubu’s promoters are free to campaign for him anywhere in Igboland.
“Similarly, other presidential candidates should also have a smooth sail in taking their campaign to every part of the country.
“Ndigbo remain a very accommodating tribe in Nigeria, known for their hospitality and we are never going to lose that status in spite of provocations.
“All we demand from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a transparent process through which Nigerians would freely make their choice.
“We advise all interest groups in the South East, under whatever guise, to exercise restraint and not take actions that would lead to regrets in the future.”
