Ohaneze Ndigbo congratulates Buhari and Atiku saying it will back whoever supports restructuring

PAN-Igbo socio-cultural group Ohaneze Ndigbo has reacted to the recent selection of presidential candidates by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) saying that its members will only vote for whoever supports restructuring.

Over the weekend, it emerged that former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will face President Muhammadu Buhari in next year's presidential elections. Alhaji Abubakar emerged as the PDP candidate following its convention in the Rivers State capital Port Harcourt, while President Buhari as adopted unanimously by his APC at their Abuja convention, getting the endorsement of 14,842.072 delegates.

Several other smaller parties also nominated their presidential candidates with the Africa Action Congress electing Omoyele Sowere, the Social Democratic Party electing former Cross River State governor Donald Duke, the National Interest Party electing Eunice Atuejide, the Young Progressive Party electing Kingsley Moghalu,  the Yes Party electing Ali Soyode and the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria electing Obageli Ezekwesili as their presidential candidates.  Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said that it would not support any presidential candidate in any of the political parties who is opposed to the restructuring of the country.

Chief Nnia Nwodo, the Ohaneze Ndigbo president, revealed this while congratulating both President Buhari and Alhaji Abubakar for winning their party tickets.

He said that Ohanaeze Ndigbo had made its position known that restructuring of the country was more important to it than Igbo presidency, pointing out that the country would continue to remain underdeveloped if it was not restructured in line with the thinking of the founding fathers.

Chief Nwodo said: “Most Nigerians want the country to be restructured. Nigeria is being run like a unitary government instead of a federation but the people of Nigeria want restructuring according to their regions. “

"Atiku Abubakar has repeatedly said he would restructure Nigeria and APC should make restructuring its main campaign issue in 2019.  There are other presidential aspirants like Donald Duke and Oby Ezekwesili and we also congratulate them, they are welcome on board."

He added that Nigeria is full of talents and only restructuring can help all these talented people to reach their   heights in all areas of human endeavour. At the moment, there is a huge clamour for Nigeria to be restructured in line with the agreement reached by her founding fathers at the 1958 London constitutional conference where it was agreed that the federating units would control all the resources within their respective domains.