Former vice-president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday held closed-door meetings with members of Enugu and Anambra States’ houses of assembly in a bid to woo them ahead of the party’s presidential primary on January 13, 2011.

His aspiration, however, received a major boost as the Enugu State House of Assembly specifically endorsed him ahead of President Goodluck Jonathan. The lawmakers described him as the most experienced in the race so far.

Meanwhile, Atiku reiterated his support for the emergence of an Igbo man as the president of the country by 2015, saying that was the only way of putting to an end the fall-outs of the country’s 30-month civil war.

The former vice-president’s campaign train, however, received a major shock as Ebonyi State Governor Martin Elechi reportedly barred them from visiting the state.

He was said to have directed Ebonyi delegates to avoid any meeting with Atiku.
Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh, who spoke on behalf of other lawmakers during a special session to receive Atiku’s presidential team, said the assembly would go the extra-mile to ensure that they support the course which the former vice-president is currently championing.

“Enugu Assembly will go extra length to show full support to the course which has brought you to the House of Assembly today. You are the most experienced of all aspirants in the race having experienced presidency for eight years. What you have told us today are facts and when we heard of your visit, we decided to turn out in our numbers to receive you. We have been humbled by your wordings, our president-to-be and by the grace of God, you will be there.

“We had you one-on-one and it is my hope that we’ll vote according to our conscience. The Igbo man has conscience and having suffered for this great country, we will not let you down. Members of this house of assembly are courageous. This is one of the houses that voted for the autonomy of the legislature and we know the right thing to do,” Odoh said.

His remarks were intermittently punctuated by praise songs from the legislators who all turned out to receive the former vice-president.
Speaking earlier, Atiku said he was committed to a point of passion to ensuring that the South-east produced the president by 2015, saying “I’ve made this commitment in the past.

“Ben Obi was my running-mate when I took refuge in the Action Congress of Nigeria. Northern Leaders Political Forum and Igbo Political Forum have reached a form of agreement to ensure that by 2015, the presidency comes back to South-east.
“It’s not a joke; it affects you and the generation yet unborn. It’s a way to make every part of Nigeria an integral part of this nation,” he said, while describing PDP as the nation’s unifying factor in the ongoing political dispensation having won elections in every zone of the country since 1999.

He also used the opportunity to reel out his people-oriented programmes for Nigerians if elected the next president of the country. Some of the programmes span through security, health, education and youth empowerment among others.

He applauded the speaker of Enugu assembly for having shown rare qualities by constantly receiving him each time he came to the state, saying “even the last time I came to the state when we still had four aspirants from the North, and people were avoiding us, the speaker still made out time to visit me at my hotel room and I am deeply grateful to you”.

The presidential aspirant later met with members of Anambra State House of Assembly in a private hotel in the state.
He is scheduled to meet with Abia and Imo States’ assembly members in Owerri today.

The team, according to THISDAY checks, will not be visiting Ebonyi State as the governor who also doubles as the South-east Coordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation allegedly barred the team from having any meeting with delegates from the state especially members of the state assembly.

A source close to the Atiku Campaign Organisation told THISDAY that the governor expressly told the former governor of the state, Dr. Sam Egwu, who is also a member of the Atiku team that the team was not free to visit the state.

www.thisdayonline.info

its only propaganda no right thinking onye igbo will endorse atiku , and there are a lot of right thinking igbo people in enugu, the history of nigeria is filled with appeasing muslim northerners, and they have misused their chances which was given to them by the british , by always presenting crippled people to rule nigeria, balewa a british plant, gowon too young and planless, murtala a bank robber and a jihadist, shehu shagari a study into ineptitude, buhari a tribalist, jihadist and planless, babangida the father of all nigerias corruption and a serial murderer, abacha a serial murderer, abubakar smart but was busy robbing us blind, yar,adua was planless had opportunity but allowed wife and ethnic bias to derail him will be remembered as baba go slow, as for atiku he should be in jail for decades of looting nigeria blind, jonathan is the man his fresh and a minority at least for the ist time in nigeria everyone will be at same level and that is whalt ndi igbo want at least we are not afraid of healthy competition, nigeria will grow only when everyone has a chance to be somebody not some clowns hiding behind, royalty, nobleblood which actually is another name for those who collaborate with our foriegn oppressors be it from the wes :ot or the east. onyegaemel

Is enugu not part of ohaneaeze ndigbo? What happens to gej's endorsement, abi atiku don start?

@ onyegaemel,
It's really amazing how bad you feel, just because one state house of assembly has endorse your enemy candidate out of the 36 houses of assembly that endorses GEJ. What has muslims/religion got to do with this?
The series of endorsement in the core/muslim states of the north/south western state of Oyo for your man friday,is it not democracy at play?KMT. Have you ever cared to scan through those in the bandwagon of GEJ must stay? Did you ever care to check where GEJ's campaign coordinator, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida is from?OMG.
No wonder it is commonly said in some quarters in the north that a southerner is only wise but senseless.
BTW, the coup plotters you mentioned in your opening paragraph,learnt the trade from an Igbo renegade, one Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu. Tell me amongst all of them, who went there to serve our immediate constituencies? They became courageous at the expense of their lives. They became heroes, not to us, but to their folks in the army.
Amongst them, if I should educate you, Gowon is a minority/christian, Murtala is half Edo muslim, Babangida is a minority Gwari/Gbagi, Abacha is a minority Kanuri. Therfore, nine years of Gowon, plus eight years of Babangida, plus five years of Abacha, and one year of GEJ which is equal twenty six years of minority rule.
Now, the question is, where does Ndigbos, the originators of the military coups stand?
I would also like to educate you that the British, gave the Northerners the first shot to rule Nigeria,not out of sympathy, but because they did not met them  in hamlets/scattered huts. They came, and  saw an established institutions. They met resistance, yes, but their firepower was bigger and stronger.
Atiku is better in terms of experience, than your "foul air". Atiku and GEJ are the reason why we are comatose in this country. Yes Atiku stole, but he plough back his loots into the economy. Take a look at his interests/investments. The second largest employer in River state. Fact. Twenty percent of the labour is Intel services Ltd., is  Ndigbo. Fact. His campaign train is more Ndigbo than GEJ's. His economic team is more Ndigbo than GEJ's. He brought in people like Okonjo Iweala, Madam "due process", Soludo, Akunyili etc to limelight.Fact.