Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Bar Uche Okwukwu, on Monday, described as huge lie and activities of fifth columnists the endorsement of Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar by the Ohaneze Ndigbo as its candidate.
He said those claiming that the apex Igbo group endorsed the PDP candidate was on their own.
Briefing newsmen in Awka, Okwukwu denied any meeting of Ime-Obi Ohanaeze where the body endorsed a candidate for Ndigbo.
He said members were not informed ahead of the meeting, neither was a communique committee responsible for drafting the resolution arising from the meeting set up.
He said, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo never held a meeting of the Ime-Obi where we endorsed any candidate for the 2019 presidential election.
“Secondly, if we organize the Ime-Obi meeting, we inform members beforehand and in the meeting, we also set up a communique committee that drafts the resolution or communique arising from the meeting which will be presented before the general house for ratification.
“No such thing was done and anybody purporting to have had any Imo-Obi meeting where Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was endorsed as our presidential candidate is on his own.”
Okwukwu, however, revealed that the apex Igbo association as a body would soon hold the Imo-Obi meeting where it would discuss the presidential candidate to endorse.
“If we choose to endorse anybody we shall do so when we organize the Ime-Obi meeting and that will be in no distant time.
He added, “There are Igbo sons and daughters from Igbo land who are contesting the office of the president of the country and that doesn’t mean that we are looking at only Igbo candidates.
“When we meet at the Ime-Obi meeting we shall choose a candidate and you know that we have Igbo sons and daughters from Igbo land who are contesting the election and we are not limiting it to Igbo candidates.
“But in the interest of Ndigbo we should support President Muhammadu Buhari for the second term and that is the only way to get to our promise Land.”