singa4real:
Elder Statesman, lawyer, and politician, Chief Guy Ikokwu, has claimed that indecision by the Yoruba delegation’s denied Obafemi Awolowo a Yoruba/Igbo joint presidential ticket. According to the 83-year-old; “We met Zik at Nsukka and Awo in Apapa, Lagos. Our team included statesmen like Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya. Dr Abubakar Rimi. Chief Solomon Lar. We agreed to have a common united political front to stop the domineering Fulani jihadist tactics in Nigeria.


Both Zik and Awo gave us their blessing and we organized the biggest party conference for the public in Enugu, which was attended by both leaders and their executives in the East and West.”

The Chairman of the defunct Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) in the old Anambra State in the Second Republic continued; “Awolowo led Action Group, AG leaders like Pa Ajasin. Cicero Esa-Oke Bola Ige, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, etc to attend and address the teaming multitude in Enugu.

“We all returned to Lagos and formed a Strategic Committee with Governor Jakande as chairman. Apart from our Northern eminent brothers the Yoruba members in the committee included Senator Abraham Adesanya and Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

We had our think-tank intellectuals in the committee whose aim was to have a formidable alliance for Zik or Awo to vie for the Presidential Election against Alhaji Shehu Shagari who was seeking a second tenure.

“The committee shared all the distributable portfolios and board positions among the parties in the coalition. There were about 2000 of such positions which were satisfactorily shared.

“What was left was the Presidency and Party Chairman. Awolowo’s group insisted they would have the first choice since they had five states and Ziks group had 3 states. The unresolved issue was the party platform and Chairmanship.

“We adjourned for a few days for consultations with our leaders. Zik said he would abide by our consensual decision as a democrat. Chief RBK Okafor and Omenife Ikokwu were mandated by Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya to find an agreeable synthesis.

“We consulted and I proposed a solution of compromise to suite all. Awolowo was to make the first choice as they had insisted. In such a situation Awolowo would be the Presidential Candidate against Shehu Shagari.

“We then proposed that if the coalition party was the Nigerian Peoples Party the party Chairman would be Zik and the party would be supreme on policy matters to move the country forward.

“So Zik as NPP party Chairman would take Awo round the nation during the elections as a presidential candidate; and vice visa if the Unity Party of Nigeria emerged as coalition party.

“Our chairman, Jakande, when we resumed requested a brief adjournment for their (Yoruba) response after consultations. All other members in the Strategy Committee agreed with our proposals except Awolowo s group which was split.

“The press and the world media awaited the final results at the lawns of the Governor’s Lodge at the Marina. “Members of the Unity Party of Nigeria Youth Wing under then youthful Ebenezer Babatope were chanting Awo! Awo! that in their party constitution there is no cleavage between the Executive and the Party.

“They are one and no form of Coalition would work as being proposed.

“We all met after in-house discussions and phone calls. The Chairman, Jakande then said there will be no press conferences on the matters and if there was no meeting in the next week all the parties would field their presidential candidates and cooperate where desirable in the other elective offices.

“So that was how the parties contested against each other and the election was rigged for Shehu Shagari. And Zik made his famous speech that history will vindicate the just and the wicked shall not go unpunished.

“Some Nigerians say that Zik did not lift that curse on Nigeria before he died. He lived to a very ripe age seeing people and exchanging pleasantries with his two new wise kid sons with whom he shared his wisdom of ages.

“Chief Awolowo did not like the state of the polity thereafter and as a sage who had written ominously on our contemporary issues, he felt very disconsolate as he was betrayed by some of his followers and the military junta who had ruined the nation.

“Awolowo was dogged and astute but did learn much of human frailties and the way and manner he was used during the civil war.

“Very few Nigerians really know how and why he died. He was betrayed unexpectedly by his closest confidant who is still alive now.”

Source : https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/04/how-yoruba-delegations-indecision-denied-awolowo-joint-presidential-ticket-%e2%80%95ikokwu/

Dedetwo:


I guess it was the second time around. He was betrayed by his trusted confidants in 50s and 60s and later jailed on trumped up charges. In addition, he was disgraced out of western Nigerian regional politics by his lieutenants.

0m0nnakoda:
Lying is in the blood of these people.
Telling lies on dead men.

goodnessme1:
Yoruba hate themselves.

flokii:
What they won't tell you is that Azikiwe was a serial betrayer and ethnic jingoist.

Since Awolowo was to become president, he ran to the North to form coalition against the West. Of course some bad eggs from the West fell to his ploy but that didn't stop Pa Awolowo from being the great and exemplary leader that he was.

We reject any ploy to rewrite history.

LivingSage:
Igbo loves themselves. Hence ojukwu contested for presidency and couldn't get 20,% of Igbo's votes

babajero:
No yoruba man dead or alive can compare to the great Ojukwu, he saw the same thing the world is complaining today way back when 50 kobo still had value.

Dedetwo:
A thread with concrete facts tend to scare away the tribal jingoists. I thank the OP for posting a factual facts which tend to silence revisionists.

LivingSage:
The late COWARD? I heard he dressed like a woman to escape being butchered by ordinary sergeant of The Nigeria army.
Kachifo the great coward of the Biafra Nation.

seunmsg:


What concrete facts are you talking about?

Awolowo contested the same election with an Igbo running mate so what’s your point? Did Igbos vote for the Awolowo/Umeadi ticket? Did Azikiwe contest with a Yoruba running mate?

Awolowo wanted the alliance more than anybody but Zik never wanted it out of jealousy. He preferred Shagari to win the election and acted as a spoiler for Awolowo. Even at that, Awolowo still demonstrated his willingness to work with Igbos by choosing a running mate from the south east despite protest from so many of his party members. At the end of the day, Igbos opted to vote for Shagari. After the election, they even formed a government of national unity with Shagari’s NPN similar to the NPC/NCNC alliance of the first republic.

kayusely70:
Awo contested the eletion with Phillips Umeadi

kayusely70:
Awo contested the eletion with Phillips Umeadi

seunmsg:


What concrete facts are you talking about?

Awolowo contested the same election with an Igbo running mate so what’s your point? Did Igbos vote for the Awolowo/Umeadi ticket? Did Azikiwe contest with a Yoruba running mate?

Awolowo wanted the alliance more than anybody but Zik never wanted it out of jealousy. He preferred Shagari to win the election and acted as a spoiler for Awolowo. Even at that, Awolowo still demonstrated his willingness to work with Igbos by choosing a running mate from the south east despite protest from so many of his party members. At the end of the day, Igbos opted to vote for Shagari. After the election, they even formed a government of national unity with Shagari’s NPN similar to the NPC/NCNC alliance of the first republic.

flokii:


The same people he chose are the ones making fun of him today, telling all sort of lies while they praise their own 'betrayer' son who abandoned them during their biafra struggle to dine with Nigerian government.. Issa pity

seunmsg:


It’s even more painful that it was Samuel Ikoku that granted the silly interview. This is someone Awolowo risked everything for. The decision of Awolowo to remove Ayo Rosiji as the Action group Secretary General and replace him with Samuel G. Ikoku was what caused the 1962 AG Jos convention crisis.

Akintola couldn’t believe Awo would remove a Yoruba man and replace him with an Igbo man in a party dominated by Yorubas. That single decision marked the end of the relationship between Akintola and Awolowo. Sadly, Akintola was right. When it mattered most in 1979, S.G. Ikoku in an act of unforgivable betrayal worked against Awolowo’s aspiration to be president.

babajero:
A man who knew what his people want and go for it, and [s]a man who was so greedy to sell his people for position and drank poison like a bitch after betrayal. I think Awolowo is the reason they started producing sniper. Now tell me who is the coward.

seunmsg:


It’s even more painful that it was Samuel Ikoku that granted the silly interview. This is someone Awolowo risked everything for. The decision of Awolowo to remove Ayo Rosiji as the Action group Secretary General and replace him with Samuel G. Ikoku was what caused the 1962 AG Jos convention crisis.

Akintola couldn’t believe Awo would remove a Yoruba man and replace him with an Igbo man in a party dominated by Yorubas. That single decision marked the end of the relationship between Akintola and Awolowo. Sadly, Akintola was right. When it mattered most in 1979, S.G. Ikoku in an act of unforgivable betrayal worked against Awolowo’s aspiration to be president.

raumdeuter:


Akintola knew Ibos well and what they stood for

Go and listen to Akintola 1964 broadcast on YouTube and compare to what's happening today

LivingSage:
Igbo loves themselves. Hence ojukwu contested for presidency and couldn't get 20,% of Igbo's votes