Southeast does not need Atiku Abubakar’s Greek gift, says Onoh

Against the background of Atiku Abubarkar’s promise to facilitate Igbo presidency if he comes Nigeria’s President in 2023, spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential council in the southeast, Dr Josef Onoh, who has accused the PDP candidate of having never loved the south-east except taking a wife from the zone.

He also challenged Atiku to name what he did for the zone as Vice president for the people to believe him, adding that Atiku also lacked knowledge of what restructuring was all about and how it can be achieved.

Onoh said that Atiku failed to observe that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) has provisions for the necessary steps that must be taken and adhered to in amending any of its provisions.

He noted that similar provisions were made in the previous constitutions of Nigeria, stating that the procedures for altering the constitution were complex and cumbersome which the framers of the constitution deliberately made so as to discourage frivolities and unwarranted tinkering with the constitution so as to preserve the unity of Nigeria.

Onoh also took a swipe at Atiku on his inability to strategically explain how the insecurity challenge in the southeast can be contained for any other form of development to come the way of the Southeast.

In his response to Atiku’s Greek gift, Onoh said: “Atiku came to the southeast with intent to deceive because he cannot be talking about giving the Southeast restructuring as if it is exclusive to the Southeast or as if that is all we need. See him promising restructuring without knowing the full import of what the concept and content of restructuring entails. This reminds one of the episodes under the Gowon administration when some students took to the streets in the demonstration, shouting, ‘Ali Must Go!’ Non-students joined them innocently, echoing ‘Ali Must Go!’ without knowing what the students were protesting against.

“He could not even tell us how the Southeast can be integrated into the federal government’s economic policies and other development needs. He could not tell us how he will revamp the industrialization of the Southeast and create other federal government presence in the zone, but all he could say is restructuring as if the Southeast will be the only beneficiary of restructuring.

“For Atiku’s information, what the Southeast needs are federal government presence and full-scale business initiatives as businessmen we are.

President Muhammadu Buhari has done the second Niger Bridge and other things, but the Southeast needs revitalization of the coal industry and other mega projects that will bring the zone to the forefront of the African economy. With his restructuring promise, he intends to play into the psyche of the gullible self-seeking politicians who have been shouting about restructuring without in-depth knowledge and the complex nature of restructuring.

“Atiku goofed as a Muslim by using the name of God in vain in his insincere promise. As vice president for eight years, how did he promote restructuring since he knows about restructuring; what did he do as vice president that encouraged businesses in the south east?

“We have to judge people by their past records because Atiku scored zero in the Southeast as vice president. His only achievement in the southeast was marriage to our daughter whom he eventually divorced. As vice president he failed to deal with the issues affecting the Southeast such as an intolerable imbalance in the federal structure, as was and currently constituted; imbalance in appointments and imbalance in the distribution of resources.

“Atiku has failed to tell us how he will tackle the challenge of insecurity in the Southeast. Asiwaju told us that he will negotiate with all the agitating groups to bring lasting peace but Atiku has not said anything about how to tackle insecurity challenges which is one of the major challenges in the Southeast. What Atiku rather came to sell was a dummy by promising us in the name of God that he doesn’t believe in. We are tired of Atiku’s Greek gifts. Let him keep his Trojan horse while we keep our Troy. Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated inclusiveness by making the Southeast his early campaign grounds and the first presidential candidate to campaign in the zone.”

Onoh however expressed gratitude to the wife of the PDP presidential candidate who urged the people of the southeast to go and get their permanent voters cards and vote for the APC, noting that even if Mrs Abubakar made a slip of tongue, God used her to speak, noting that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.