Middle Belt restates support for Obi, South-East presidency

•As Obasanjo, Adebanjo, others eulogise Nwodo at 70

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), said, yesterday, that the North Central zone of the country is committed to supporting a president of South East extraction for the purpose of fairness, equity and justice.

This is as former President, Olusegun Obasanjo; Leader of Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; former Ambassador, Godknows Igali eulogised ex-President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who marked his 70th birthday, yesterday.

President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Poga, stated, at a colloquium, held as part of the 70th birthday celebration of Nwodo, that “Peter Obi will be the first democratically elected president of Nigeria from South East extraction.”

At the event attended by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Obi, he insisted that the “rest of the country should give peace a chance by voting Obi as the next president.”

Pogu, who commended Nwodo over his role in the emergence of Obi as presidential candidate from the South East, noted that, hopefully, the LP candidate remained the choice of Middle Belt and Afenifere.

He said: “We have said it again and again that in the interest of equity, fairness and justice, the president should come from the South, particularly, the South East.”

“In the middle Belt, we are with Obi for a better Nigeria.

‘When Obi emerges, Nwodo will stand by him as one of the persons who played a major role in presenting him to us.”
Earlier, at a church service held as part of the occasion, Obasanjo said that Nwodo has contributed immensely to the growth and development of his community, Enugu State and the country at large; hence, he deserved to be celebrated.

“We have come here to celebrate and make merry for what God has done for our brother. We pray that God will keep him so he can continue to make meaningful contributions to growth of the country,” Obasanjo said.

Also, the Afenifere Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, extolled the uncommon trait of Nwodo to build bridges and friendships across the country.

Adebanjo said that Nwodo had stood out for peace and equity of all parts and ethnicity of the country, adding he had done that by words and actions.