Igbo Presidency Sold For 5Billion Naira

Have They Shamelessly Sold Igbo Presidency For N5 Billion Naira?/
By Obinna Akukwe
It is obvious to informed political strategists that the
Igbos have schemed themselves out of possible
presidency for 2015 for a probable paltry sum of
N5billion naira (subsidy thieves stole N1.7 billion naira).
Since the Ohaneze crisis started in February 2012,
various versions of how much was released to the body
through various guise, means and reasons was rife. A
news media reported that ’’ Jonathan’s
N5billion bribe tears Ohaneze Apart ‘’and went on to
publish together with another media site ( Elombah) one
of the secret bank accounts used to siphon the funds,
but since the South East Governors set up a committee
to look into the matter, facts before them suggested that
the amount surpasses the N5 billion reported in the
news. Some Committee members were availed of some
secret account including the Diamond Bank account
where over N275 million naira was withdrawn over a
period of about two years without the knowledge of
Ohaneze Secretariat. Informed sources have explained
that the South East Governors were shocked when they
realized that the presidency have been bombarding
Ohaneze with cash, contracts and businesses and some
Reconciliation Committee Members were so ashamed
that they buried their heads in and sought an exit
strategy. That is why a two-week assignment turned to
over eight weeks and was concluded just before the
Easter week. Their assignment is likened to a doctor
called to cure malaria fever only to discover that the
patient had acute Hepatitis B and needs complicated
medication.
Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma , at the peak of the
Ohaneze crisis , put a call through to Governor Peter
Obi, and asked what Igbo Governors were doing to
checkmate the spiraling crisis. Peter Obi responded by
scheduling a meeting of the five South East Governors
at Government House, Enugu, and they responded within
24 hours to deliberate on the matter. The five governors
of the South East set up 11 man committee to look into
the Ohaneze crisis after the controversial January 2013
elections, unify the aggrieved chieftains and make
Ohaneze stronger. The committee members include
Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, Rev Prof Obiora Ike,
Senator Uche Chukwumerije, Senator Ben Obi, Prof Joe
Irukwu, Hon Ohuabunwa and among others, but the
extent of shit oozing from the place was such that even
the Governors were reluctant to call for speedy
conclusion of the report.
Among the revelations which shocked them, though not
new to the informed observers was that the Ime Obi
meeting of Ohaneze was called only four times
throughout the four year tenure of the immediate past
leadership. Ime Obi meeting is like the council of elders
and they hold monthly meetings during which they
review situations that concerns Igbos with a view to
taking appropriate positions. The aggrieved parties
alleged that the organization was run front Asaba
without due consultations to forestall any attempt for
Igbos to rally in pursuit of common agenda.
Another revelation was that the past leadership had
audience with President Goodluck Jonathan 21 times
and there was no infrastructure in Igbo land to show for
the meetings. They alleged that he never attended any
of the meetings with President Jonathan in the company
of any member of Ime Obi nor member of the National
Executive Council, therefore nobody knows whether Igbo
interest is being sold during the meetings. However, the
immediate past president Ambassador Ralph Uwechue
had countered that the president had always requested
to see only himself and as such he cannot be expected
to carry crowd to the Sate House.
The committee were told that all the monies collected
on behalf of the group was never lodged into the
account and that the organization as at the time of
swearing in of new executives, had less than N100,000
naira in the account. They were informed that if not for
the magnanimity of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State
who came to the rescue of Ohaneze with N2million
naira , the elections would not have held, wandering why
the deliberate starving of funds to the organs when the
members know that Ohaneze had excess cash in secret
accounts. The committee was told that the reason for
the starvation of funds was to frustrate a free and fair
election and impose some presidency anointed
candidates on the Igbos .Uwechue countered the
starvation of funds argument by explaining that he
personally released N1million naira to the body for
conduct of the said election , describing the taunted
intervention of Orji as a blackmail.
The committee members were told that there was never
any agreement between President Jonathan and
Ohaneze that the former will support an Igbo man for
president either in 2015 or 2019 and that Ohaneze’s
blind endorsement of Jonathan 2015 is motivated by
personal and business interests and they revealed some
multi billion naira business interests of some Ohaneze
Chieftains championing Jonathan 2015 projects.
The committee members also discovered that the
presidential aide on Subsidy Reinvestment Programme,
Nze Akachukwu Nwankpa was not acting alone in the
bribery scandal. They were told that some people, who
returned their bribe cheques issued through a proxy
company, were given cash equivalent of between $
120,000-150,000 dollars to shut up their mouth while
Igbo interests is being sold. Nze Akachukwu on his own
part have threatened to expose anybody that tries to
drag his name to the mud and reportedly told some
Igbo elders that he did everything with the consent of
Ohaneze leadership.
Ambasador Uwechue had always maintained that the
Ohaneze foundation was run by the Akachukwu in
concert with the past publicity secretary, Chief Ralph
Ndigwe, who was managing the Ikenga Express fleet of
buses and that he was denied vital information and
access to the funds. That was his submission to the
earlier committee set up by Ohaneze to investigate the
matter and that was the stance he maintained while
speaking with some members of the committee.
The committee was told that the new leadership of
Ohaneze has already foreclosed any support for Igbo
presidency in 2015. The statement by the Ohaneze
spokesman Prince Tonnie Ogonna that ” If President
Jonathan declines to run in 2015, it then makes it
quicker for the Igbo. The bottom line is that Ohanaeze
supports Jonathan in whatever decision he takes in
2015” was tendered as evidence that the new
leadership have sold off without any concrete
agreement. This stance of the new Ohaneze leadership
is already yielding dividends of financial transformation
for some members.
Some Committees members, together with the Governors
were disappointed that all the hues and cries that
Ohaneze lacked funding was all lies and that Ohaneze
was swimming in billions. Some of them expressed
disappointment that the group had acquiesced to the
President Jonathan second term agenda cheaply while
others believe that Ohaneze is in order.
Governor Martins Elechi of Ebonyi State felt slighted that
a president was elected for Ohaneze from his state and
he was not allowed to either make input. He demanded
a new election whereby according to the Ohaneze
constitution, three persons must be presented from the
state from which the General Convention can chose
one.
The Committee had concluded its reports, however,
informed sources revealed that while Governors Obi and
Orji of Anambra and Abia States respectively are in
support of the continuation of the present executives,
Okorocha and Elechi favours fresh elections . It is
expected that the Governors will harmonize their
positions and probably appease the aggrieved parties.
Whichever way it goes, through acts of sabotage, it is
obvious that Igbo presidency has been sold and those
expecting the Igbo to preside over Nigeria in 2015
should blame their leaders for sacrificing their desting
for paltry appeasement of a few billions.