Obasanjo is Ndigbo best friend - Chief Ifediobi

A Biafran war veteran and staunch and founding member of Nigeria's former governing party, the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Chief Joe Ifediobi, breaks silence on Obasanjo's call for Igbo presidency in 2019.

While faulting Obasanjo's critics over the call, he reminded them that the former president means well for the region and in fact the best friend of Ndigbo, the southeast and the south-south geopolitical zone of Nigeria.

He said instead of criticizing him, he should be commended for taking a bold step to encourage the Igbos for a slot at the presidency in 2019.

Ifediobi, who was reacting to the comments by some Igbo leaders condemning Obasanjo’s disposition about Ndigbo in 2019, said that the former president saw far and could not be disregarded in Nigerian politics.

Recall that some Igbo leaders Had lambasted Obasanjo on his views that the Igbo should gear up for the 2019 presidency, saying  the former president was not sincere , but was indirectly mocking Ndigbo.

Ifediobi stated that it was Obasanjo when he became the president of the country in 1999 that recognised Igbo and appointed them in enviable positions since after the civil war when Ndigbo was relegated to the background through the appointment of Dr. Ngozi Okonji-Iwuala as the Finance minister.

The elder statesman also said that it was Obasanjo who discovered Igbo’s targets and what Ndigbo could offer in the governance of the country and taped from those targets by appointing them in various positions of authority before the successive leaders like late Musa Yar’dua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan emulated him.

He condemned those attacking Obasanjo for calling on Ndigbo to position themselves for the 2019 presidency, saying that he (Obasanjo) should be commended for being a friend of Ndigbo and the leaders of Ndigbo should work towards actualizing the dream of becoming the president come 2019.

According to him, “What I expected from leaders of Ndigbo is to go back and have serious thought about the disposition of Obasanjo and begins to strategize to make it a reality than to be firing him from left and right. Obasanjo is the friend of Ndigbo but some people don’t know it, he was the first leader after the civil war to appoint Ndigbo in enviable positions and awarded major road contracts in the southeast”.

“Ndigbo should know that it is time for them to correct the mistakes of the past by coming together to thinker on how to be the president of the country in 2019. Obasanjo based his call for Igbo presidency on the conflicts, agitations and marginalization of Ndigbo in the past which he said will balance the equation if Igbo man becomes the next president. So, we should work towards achieving that, than to be attacking Obasanjo” Ifediobi maintained.