Ohaneze Ndigbo president Chief Nwodo says Anambra's Governor Obiano called him an idiot

OHANEZE Ndigbo president Chief Nnia Nwodo has revealed that Anambra State's Governor Willie Obiano called him an idiot during a recent telephone conversation as the ongoing spat about who Igbos should support during next month's elections.

On February 16, Nigerians go to the polls to elect a new president with Alhaji Abubakar standing as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate against the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). At the moment, opinion is divided across the southeast geo-political zone after Ohaneze Ndigbo endorsed the candidature of Alhaji Abubakar.

Some Igbo leaders have condemned the endorsement, saying Ohaneze Ndigbo does not have the right to ask the whole southeast to back one candidate. Governor Obiano himself has distanced himself from the pronouncement, saying that the Ohaneze Ndigbo position does not reflect the views of the Anambra State government.

Yesterday, Chief Nwodo alleged that Governor Obiano, who had vowed to deliver Anambra’s votes to President Buhari in the presidential election, called him an idiot in a phone call. He said he had decided to go public over the matter so that Ndigbo would know who is idiot among both of them.

Chief Nwodo said, “Your Excellency Governor Obiano, I was surprised to receive a call from you a few minutes ago in which you said the following words Nnia, I didn’t know that you were so idiotic. I am shocked that you can be so insolent.

“I am sure that I was neither so idiotic when I addressed your state assembly asking Ndi Anambra to disregard the Indigenous People of Biafra's (Ipob) boycott of your election nor was I idiotic when I pleaded with the commander-in-chief to restore your security detail. History will judge who amongst us is idiotic.

"If standing with the popular wish of Ndigbo makes me idiotic, I am happy to be called an idiot. I will make this communication public so that Igbo will know who is idiotic amongst both of us.”

Njiko Igbo Forum president Reverend Okechukwu Obioha, said that it was disheartening and disappointing for Ohanaeze Ndigbo to play this inglorious and unacceptable script when Ndigbo has in Professor Kingsley Moghalu, a potential and electable victorious candidate come 2019. Reverend Obioha called on the generality of Igbo electorates all over the country and particularly in the southeast geo-political zone to ignore this purported decision.