• Say ‘conspirators’ are after Obi in PDP
• Accord Party woos Obi
Igbo Elders Consultative Forum (IECF), also known as Ime-obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has appealed to delegates participating in the presidential primaries to vote only aspirants from the South East.
The appeal came few days to the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), slated to hold this weekend.
The South East elders also commended the decision of the former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, to resign from the PDP, noting that there were attempts to scheme him out during the party primary.
Speaking at a press briefing, yesterday, in Abuja, IECF chairman and former Anambra governor, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, urged delegates to “shun and shame greedy and selfish party leaders by voting for presidential aspirants from the South East, for the sake of justice, equity, fairness, peace and stability of Nigeria.”
Ezeife noted that doing otherwise might aggravate the current crises, insecurity and separatist agitations in the country, thereby, endangering the corporate existence of Nigeria.
On the resignation of Obi from PDP, Ezeife described the former governor as one of the most acceptable Nigerians, passionate about the development of the country.
“I think it is all about manipulations, but I also think Obi is very calculative. Before he did that, he would have a good reason.
In fact, I foresaw efforts to scheme him out of the primary and I was praying for him to leave the PDP and now he has left.”
MEANWHILE, Chairman of Accord Party (AP) in Anambra, Chief Bartho Igwedibia, had said that the resignation of Obi from the PDP has become a blessing in disguise for smaller parties in the state.
Igwedibia, who made the assertion while briefing journalists at the state secretariat of the party, yesterday, in Awka, urged Obi to join AP.
According to him, the exit of Obi from the PDP is like a thunderbolt to his former party, but a very joyous development to smaller parties like AP in the state.
“As you might have heard, many aspirants who bought forms to contest for state assembly, House of Representatives or Senate in PDP are resigning in their numbers.
“A good number of people are buying forms in our party since Wednesday, and I make bold to call on Obi to equally take the advantage and come to AP, because we have a veritable platform for him to achieve his presidential ambition,” he said.
