National Chairman, United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has made it clear that the Ohanaeze he knew in which he is a member for 42 years could not have endorsed the candidacy of the Presidential flag bearer of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar because the body is non partisan.
He said also that his party, UPP, has adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate in the 2019 presidential election.
Okorie, who spoke to news men today, Friday after a South-East group he led had a closed door meeting with President Buhari in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, insisted that Ohanaeze as a non-partisan pan-Igbo organization could not have endorsed Atiku.
“I joined Ohanaeze in 1976 as an undergraduate. Ohanaeze is 42 years and I am 42 years old in the organization. The original members that founded Ohanaeze are only four that are living today, including myself.
“All others, including those who lead Ohanaeze now, came after that formation and I have been a member of the elders council; there was no where we met and agreed on the event that took place yesterday (to endorse Atiku).”
The UPP national chairman said that Ohanaeze had issued a statement to say it did not, as a body, endorse Alhaji Atiku Abukakar.
On the visit of the group, which comprised Chief Azuka Okwuosa, an APC Chieftain from Anambra South Senatorial Zone, Dr. Ugochukwu Okafor, National Publicity Secretary, Igboezue Cultural Organization and Sadiq Masara, National Secretary, UPP to the President, Okorie said: “we came to pay the president not just a solidarity visit but intimate him on how we intend to get fully involved in his re-election bid.
“It will be recalled that UPP in August this year, took a decision by its National Executive Committee (NEC) that we will not present a candidate for the 2019 presidential election and we therefore resolved after due consultations and consideration of every factor to adopt President Buhari as UPP Presidential Candidate for the 2019 presidential election.
“This, we shall formally unfold on Tuesday when our NEC will meet and address a world press conference to that effect.
“In doing that, we are going to deploy all our ward, local governments and state/national structures to be actively involved in the campaign to make a pronouncement and go to sleep and wait for result to make itself.
“We will be part of that result; Igboezue Cultural Association is coordinating all the extant Igbo groups across the country for this same purpose.”
Okorie said that a situation where Igbo people had put their eggs in one basket for 16 years was not healthy as the people were almost out of the political radar.
He said that the out of Buhari’s benevolence, certain infrastructural activities are ongoing and are being funded without having to change the contractors.
According to him, this is the time to make Buhari’s re-election bid something of a national consensus so that every section will have a claim.
Okorie said that he and other stakeholders are working towards changing the narrative so that Igbo people would be more involved instead of being out of government.
