pazienza: The date was December 2010. It was the year an Ijaw man by the name GEJ came to visit Ojukwu and seek for the Igbo support in his agenda to succeed late Yaradua as elected Nigerian President, which would involve destroying the PDP zoning formulae, which stipulated that the North should complete their 8years tenure before power could return to the South in 2015, with SE being a strong contender for presidential slot, in 2015, should power return to the South.
Events leading to GEJ visit to Ojukwu was chaotic. A group of Igbo elders who were of the opinion that Ndiigbo would enter into a political wilderness should their help GEJ usurp the PDP zoning formulae, and sought to reach out to Northern elders in stopping GEJ ascension, led by the likes of Ekwueme, were locked out of their Concorde hotel Owerri state venue for their meeting, under the instruction of Ohakim, who it was rumoured, was working in consonance with GEJ.
These were the events that preceded GEJ visit to Ojukwu (Eze Igbo Gburugburu) at his Enugu residence.
Once at Enugu GEJ started the "I am Igbo" deception message. Let's hear him out :
: “I am here to inform the people of the South East that I and Vice President Namadi Sambo are vying for presidency and to seek the support of the South East zone. I believe you will support us because I am one of you. I consider himself as an Igbo man because of the circumstances of my birth and I believe you all regard me as your own son.”
And this was how it began. The news spread wide and near that GEJ is one of us, an Igbo man. You see, we had reduced the Igbo tag to such a cheap commodity that everybody can now come and tell us they are Igbo. We even those who are Igbos at convenient time, and non Igbos when It was no longer convenient. We threw caution to the wind. We opened our hands and accepted the "non Igbo" Igbo man, relegating our own group agenda to the background. Yet, the elders amongst us warned us about the consequences of our actions then, but we were too myopic to see the future.
The backlash Igbos received from supporting GEJ will sure last for another generation. It simply showed that nobility,character and finer values of life are anathema in this contraption. Does it occur to us that development,equality,fairness,justice,plans for the next generation and building an enduring political culture are never features of politics in Nigeria. Rather,it is all about primitive accumulation of capital and crude,if not,animalistic quest for power for the sake of it! Supporting GEj showed us a progressive,reliable and fore sighted collective. It further conferred us with a moral high ground in the mess Nigeria has become. Even our fiercest hater admire us secretly,it confirm what I've always known: Nigeria don't deserve the Igbos.
pazienza: [b]So government also needs to look inward. Are there elements within the government that want to heighten the situation and create an environment where money has to be made in security votes? During the era of Odili in Rivers, he received the highest security votes because there was a turbulent activity of militants but today Theodore Orji did not receive high security votes because of the kidnapping because it is a southeast State, it is an Igbo state.
The Igbo don’t really count in this federation and that is what Jonathan’s camp is trying to tell Ndiigbo; that they are now going to take the position of Ndiigbo in 2015. If this is what Ndiigbo want and collectively agree with, so be it.
Then you don’t have to agitate for an Igbo president in 2015, you have put a nail on your political future for the next forty years because an Ijaw man cannot hand over the presidency to you and no Yoruba man would cast a vote for an Igbo candidate for the presidency of Nigeria even when the rest of the nation agree that it is the Igbo man’s turn. They will rather abstain from such elections but an Igbo man voted Obasanjo and I stand to be corrected.[/b]
This prediction is unfolding right now.
Truly, the Igboman has no future in Nigeria. This is the reason I'm all for Biafra, but the political and cultural unification of Ali/Ani/Eli Igbo must be complete before we vacate this cursed contraption. Onye ajuraju, adajunu onwyeya.
So, he would sell Enugu short for his personal interest.
The PDP primaries was broadcasted all over the world. Imagine the kind of media publicity and free advertising hosting such event could have done for Enugu.
There is a reason Nations and cities choose to host events that would be globally broadcasted, despite the huge cost that would be incurred in puting necessary infrastructure, organization and security on ground.
Until proven otherwise, Ugwuanyi goofed big time. And this must be condemned if it were made for selfish interests considerations. A good Governor must always try to market his state to the world.
Wike is the highest Financier of PDP... he spend lots of Rivers state money on PDP..
he made sure Port Harcourt got it so that he wil use it to campaign for his re-election in 2019...
Bede2u: i wont blame igbos for supporting gej in 2011...but i will blame us for supporting him in 2015.
I for one voted buhari in 2015...u can check my old post in 2014.
Gej didnt really realise the opportunity he was given to vigorously pursue an ss/se agenda. So in effect he dealth a blow on the ss/se block. 2nd niger bridge, eastern ports, eastern airports, eastern fg roads, eastern fg unis, eastern politicians' empowerment. Those where his jobs, he did the last one and left the others.
Seeing the hand righting on the wall, smart se politicians should have forced him not to contest the pdp ticket. He should have called someone like david mark, ribadu or even his vp sambo and given them the ticket and choose a se vp. If pdp still lose, nobody will blame or victimise anybody.
I supported GEJ in 2011, and clashed alot with wiser Igbos on NL then, who saw the greater consequences of that decision. It was a wrong decision. Ohanaeze Ndiigbo and SE governors led us astray. Hindsight proves this right now.
Had we insisted on Northern continuation in 2011, we would have been better positioned right now.
It's a lesson for the future. Because I'm eyeing Wike. He has presidential or VP future ambitions.
When the time is right, our greedy politicians would try to help him sell the "I am Igbo" mantra. We must do well to see through his charade and put our own group agenda and interests ahead of every other group interests, Wike is an Ikwerre man, Ikwerre is not Igbo, and Wike has been in public sphere for a long time, and not for once had been seen promoting Igbo agenda or grant an interview where he called himself Igbo.
Ndiigbo must keep this in mind. Because it would become necessary soon enough.
Fresh facts have emerged on how the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike was able to mobilise members of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party to get Port Harcourt endorsed for the party ’s national convention on Friday.
Investigations by our correspondent showed that two presidential aspirants in the party were behind the plot to take the convention out of Rivers State.
The aspirants were said to have suggested Enugu for the event.
Unfortunately for them, the state was said to have declined the suggestion.
The two aspirants (names withheld) are said to be from North-West and North -East, respectively
It was gathered that one of the aspirants was initially very close to Wike and had thought that he would be his ally in his bid to pick the party’s presidential ticket.
However, it was gathered that Wike had refused to give his commitment to the aspiration of his friend.
A source close to the party said that sensing that Wike was becoming too close to one of the aspirants from the North-West, the two aspirants ganged up and stared reaching out to their friends in the Board of Trustees to call for the change of venue for the convention.
The source said, “There are two presidential aspirants who were not comfortable with the use of Port Harcourt for the convention.
“Both of them are even supposed to be members of the BoT. One of them is very desperate and have even been going about as if he has emerged as the PDP presidential candidate.
“He has taken almost half of the hotel in Port Harcourt, until the state found out and stopped the plan by him to book all the hotels.
“The plan was to make all the delegates rely on him for accommodation and thereby force to do their bidding.
“But Wike moved in swiftly and stop the plan. That’s how they became enemies.
“The other one felt that he had been loyal to the party and therefore, Wike being another loyal member of the party, must work with him to get the ticket.”
Our correspondent gathered that when the two aspirants knew that they might not get the suport of the governor, they resorted to the BoT members.
The Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, had openly disagreed with the members of the National Working Committee on the use of Port Harcourt for the convention.
Jibrin, during the inauguration of the party’s National Convention Committee, openly told the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Mr. Taiwo Akinwomi that the party had yet to conclude on the issue of venue for the convention.
Sensing that the plan could be truncated, it was learnt that Wike had to mobilise his friends who are members of NEC to attend the meeting.
“That was why we had so many bigwigs in attendance despite the short notice for the meeting,” the source said.
No victor, no vanguished, says Fayose
Meanwhile, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has said the conflict over the venue for PDP’s forthcoming national convention was resolved amicably and that there was no victor and no vanquished.
In a statement from his office on Saturday, the governor said it was mischievous of anyone to say Wike won the argument.
“Nobody won. Neither Wike nor PDP was in contest. It is, therefore, uncharitable to say that Wike won”, he added.
Inukwa?
Decline Kwa?
Nna eh, Ndiigbo are trying to drive me mad...
which kind thing come be this?
It is like, we will need to open church for special prayers for Ndiigbo.
Handsomegod: The backlash Igbos received from supporting GEJ will sure last for another generation. It simply showed that nobility,character and finer values of life are anathema in this contraption. Does it occur to us that development,equality,fairness,justice,plans for the next generation and building an enduring political culture are never features of politics in Nigeria. Rather,it is all about primitive accumulation of capital and crude,if not,animalistic quest for power for the sake of it! Supporting GEj showed us a progressive,reliable and fore sighted collective. It further conferred us with a moral high ground in the mess Nigeria has become. Even our fiercest hater admire us secretly,it confirm what I've always known: Nigeria don't deserve the Igbos.
Nwanne, it's a crime to be a saint in the land of thieves.
Now imagine yourself being born of a mother from there and living with them most of your life and experiencing everything first hand. You can speak the language and there is even blood tie but yet these arguments end up in physical combat. That's what I saw through the years and yet some Nairalanders that know nothing waste their precious time discussing such people in Igbo affairs. As Nwadiala I can duscuss Ikwerre affairs with Ikwerres and Igbo affairs with Igbos but will never accept them in serious Igbo discussions.
You are a coward, that is the reason you dare not express how hurt you feel when your Ikwerre relatives deride Igbos in your presence. You laugh over it while feeling terribly pained within. He he he.
Truly, I don't understand how people get married to Igbo women and then make their kids hate or have a shocking disdain for the tribe of their mother. And live like its nothing.
I empathise with all those in Abagworos shoes. But it is pertinent to observe critically that Ikwerres do not resent the Igbo's for nothing. Ikwerres did not just wake and suddenly elected to hate Igbos. What you see your see and feel from us is just the reaction to an earlier action by Igbos committed during the defunct eastern regional govt.
C'mon pazienza et al, things are not that bad. We all fell from the same ethnic branch afterall.
You are a coward, that is the reason you dare not express how hurt you feel when your Ikwerre relatives deride Igbos in your presence. You laugh over it while feeling terribly pained within. He he he.
T[b]ruly, I don't understand how people get married to Igbo women and then make their kids hate or have a shocking disdain for the tribe of their mother. And live like its nothing. [/b] I empathise with all those in Abagworos shoes. But it is pertinent to observe critically that Ikwerres do not resent the Igbo's for nothing. Ikwerres did not just wake and suddenly elected to hate Igbos. What you see your see and feel from us is just the reaction to an earlier action by Igbos committed during the defunct eastern regional govt.
C'mon pazienza et al, things are not that bad. We all fell from the same ethnic branch afterall.
There is a news i read about a Urhobo man that married an Igbo woman and later divorced her becos she claimed to be Igbo.
He said, he was not aware that she was Igbo. They were from Delta.
Moral of the story is they beat them and force them to deny Igbo and conform to their new environment and identity.
You are a coward, that is the reason you dare not express how hurt you feel when your Ikwerre relatives deride Igbos in your presence. You laugh over it while feeling terribly pained within. He he he.
Truly, I don't understand how people get married to Igbo women and then make their kids hate or have a shocking disdain for the tribe of their mother. And live like its nothing.
I empathise with all those in Abagworos shoes. But it is pertinent to observe critically that Ikwerres do not resent the Igbo's for nothing. Ikwerres did not just wake and suddenly elected to hate Igbos. What you see your see and feel from us is just the reaction to an earlier action by Igbos committed during the defunct eastern regional govt.
C'mon pazienza et al, things are not that bad. We all fell from the same ethnic branch afterall.
Ikwerre people are Bini descendants. Ndiigbo are not. So, I don't know what same ethnic branch you speak of.
By the way, longest time. We no dey see your brake light for Obodo nairaland again.
pazienza: In this explosive interview by Max Gbanite in 2010, titled "South East Governors Have mortgaged the future of Ndiigbo ", Max exhibited an uncanny foresight into the future that we behold today. It's a long interview, so I would only post the relevant parts .
Who do you mean by us?
The southeast that you are talking about; now this is the second time in the history of Nigeria that the southeast, Ndiigbo, is going to make a decision that will affect the Igbo generations of today, tomorrow and those yet unborn and I must say that in making that decision, we must be very cautious. The first was in January 15, 1966 after that Nzeogwu’s coup; the nation waited to see if any prominent Igbo man would condemn the coup. The likes of Mbazulike Amaechi who was a parliamentarian and who has hurriedly endorsed Jonathan today, the likes of K.O. Mbadiwe were busy restructuring themselves for personal gains, forcing Nwafor Orizu to handover government to Aguiyi-Ironsi. Aguiyi-Ironsi was a reluctant head of state, he asked the civilians to call government but some cabal within (just like Jonathan has a cabal today) goaded him to carry on, that ‘you don’t relinquish power, you must take power and that cost him his life.’ And then the silence of this prominent Igbo allowed the nation to think and believe that the Igbo people had an agenda in that coup of 1966 that led to a pogrom which ultimately led to the civil war and we lost what we had gained in Nigeria. That coup was the greatest anti-Igbo coup in the annals of Nigerian history.
Will pronouncements by Mbazulike Amechi and K.O. Mbadiwe condemning the coupists had saved the pogrom that followed subsequently? I doubt! Igbophobia was already very much alive and breathing in both the corridors of power and social consciousness of other Nigerians . A pogrom or similtude of such would have happened sooner than later. Talking about condemning the coupits,i wish same expectation and standard be extended to other ethnicities. Who held the mobs that massacred Igbos in Jos 1945 and Kano 1983 to account? Who condemned theme? No recorded evidence exist anywhere. The 1953 massacre was a clear case of misplaced aggression. I just wished the discussion of this nation will happen someday soon.
iLoveAnambra: they didnt knw that it wil be like that...
or are they prophets
Actually, on hindsight. What Yorubas did was the best.
They ruthlessly put their Yoruba interest ahead of the Ijaw man( fraudulently called Southern) interest.
And believe you me, the SS people have more respect for them than for us, for doing that. You are weak, if you are willing to sacrifice Your Own group interests, for those of others. This is group survival 101.
We had played emotional politics alot in Nigeria, and that has to stop, starting now. I'm glad seeing Dave Umahi rubbishing the fraudulent SE/SS tag, by insisting that the VP must go to SE. That's how it should be.
No Nigerian group plays the politics of fairness and equity, for if that be the case, SS and SW PDP members would not even be eyeing the PDP VP slot, when they both know that SS and SW had both produced PDP presidents who were supported in block by Ndiigbo, while SS in addition to that, produced a PDP VP in 2007, at the expense of SE.
Ndiigbo would continue to be shortchanged if we don't start playing cold and hard politics, which would only seek to protect SE agenda and interests, irrespective of whose horse is gored.
@bolded, at a point, I got disillusioned with NL, but I'm here now.
Ikwerre and Igbo obviously fell from same language and cultural tree. This isn't politics bro but reality.
In other words,based solely on your submission above,Ikweerre are now Igbos? Meanwhile,avail us of Igbo crimes against Ikwerre during time of the defunct Eastern region.Let us set the records straight,seperating facts from fiction.
Actually, on hindsight. What Yorubas did was the best.
They ruthlessly put their Yoruba interest ahead of the Ijaw man( fraudulently called Southern) interest.
And believe you me, the SS people have more respect for them than for us, for doing that. You are weak, if you are willing to sacrifice Your Own group interests, for those of others.
We had played emotional politics alot in Nigeria, and that has to stop, starting now. I'm glad seeing Dave Umahi rubbishing the fraudulent SE/SS tag, by insisting that the VP must go to SE. That's how it should be.
No Nigerian group plays the politics of fairness and equity, for if that be the case, SS and SW PDP members would not even be eyeing the PDP VP slot, when they both know that SS and SW had both produced PDP presidents who were supported in block by Ndiigbo, while SS in addition to that, produced a PDP VP in 2007, at the expense of SE.
Ndiigbo would continue to be shortchanged if we don't start playing cold and hard politics, which only seek to protect SE agenda and interests, irrespective of whose horse is gored.
oh Thank God.. i know you to be a brilliant fellow..
Ijaws(esp of Bayelsa state) seized Igbo Properties wen Spiff was in Power.. they are not your brothers eeeh.. we foolishly include them in Biafra..
Nnamdi Kanu doesnt know anything about this people, the only thing he knows is dat dey are circumcised,they tie two wrappers,are fair in complexion et al... all this are nonsense
is time for us to be wise, if we can get this VP then in 2023 we Present PDP Igbo Presidential flagbearer.. North by that time hav completed their 8years..
Yorubas may run through APC ...
lets see how it goes...
is only a fool will say that Igbos dont want Presidency that we want good leadership
a fool will say that and the person wil always remain a fool
So VP is more important than denying the SS Presidency in favour of the North.
The same SS oil that we all enjoy?
the truth is that Jonathan Marginalised them..thats the simple truth..
Tinubu planned with his brothers in the House of rep not to vote for Yoruba man to a speaker so that it will look like GEJ marginalised them Completely...
Handsomegod: In other words,based solely on your submission above,Ikweerre are now Igbos? Meanwhile,avail us of Igbo crimes against Ikwerre during time of the defunct Eastern region.Let us set the records straight,seperating facts from fiction.
Bia Enyia. Stop this already. Ogini di? Don't you lots have group dignity? Igbo tag is not a cheap tag to be sold to every tom dick and Harry.
Ikwerre is not Igbo. Let it go already. Stop disgracing us here.
Bede2u: And not just that...we must learn to demonise them.
We must teach our children to hate ikwerre. Tell them about the abandoned property saga. Stand with their enemies. Hate ikwerre until they call truce.
I just went tru the handle of this hopeathand fool and all i saw was UNWARRANTED hate on igbos.
Ok we get the fact that u guys are not igbo...why do hate? We must rally our ppl online to openly hate ikwerrre...we stand nothing to lose
Nothing at all.
Problem is IPOB members, who are ready to roll on the mud and receive every sought of insolence from these minority groups, in the name of building a phantom Biafra with them. They disgust me, and I hate them for doing such. It belittles and tarnishes the dignity of the rest of us. These lots must be warned and advised to stop such disgraceful begging already.
Problem is IPOB members, who are ready to roll on the mud and receive every sought of insolence from these minority groups, in the name of building a phantom Biafra with them. They disgust me, and I hate them for doing such. It belittles and tarnishes the dignity of the rest of us. These lots must be warned and advised to stop such disgraceful begging already.
begining from this thread, we must reach a concensus here that ikwerre is not igbo. If it means coming down hard on anybody who says so here. Many igbos follow this thread. We must use it to carefully sow the seed of discord btw igbo and ikwerre. Lets see who will blink 1st
If we do our duty here right, it will snowball to the outter igbo society to hate ikwerre without reason
I view with heavy suspicion the recent barrage of attacks on various Igbo groups in this fora. I was one of those that begged Spyder to use his good influences to create this thread to enable us share ground shaking ideas to take advantage of our small sized region and develop it very fast through implementing feasible plans that can only come from a gathering of great minds in a platform as this. Some faceless person has been creating multiple monikers to make this thread an avenue of hate and Igbo disunity. The exact opposite intention for it's creation. My question is what is the intention of this wicked individual and why is he so terrified about Igbos rising again in Nigeria?
My biggest surprise isn't that what he is trying to create here happened, because i know nincompoops always existed in every family, but how some erudite members of the forum swallowed his deceit hook line and sinker.
The question on my mind is their game plan?? Now that it appears the SE is again moving into mainstream national politics. Whose interest is it to have SE remain a marginalized minority in Nigeria?? They know the only way to make a majority tribe become a minority is to break them up into fragments. Then create nonsense for them to keep squabbling about, while their share of Nigeria's wealth is shared amongst others who are not even as populous as Igbo. They did it in the past when they feared so called "Igbo domination". Why are they so frantic again to pull Igbos down??
I leave you to ponder on the immortal words of the Awka Declaration of our People. "Never Again" shall we play the games of our enemies and become willing tools of our own misfortune in their hands.Fighting ourselves needlessly like jackals, while they share our commonwealth amongst themselves.