Umeh, CD decry Igbo marginalization

DAVID-CHYDDY ELEKE, Awka

The former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh has said that Igbos will not tolerate any form of marginalization from any zone of the country, insisting that the South East will stop at nothing to ensure equality in Nigeria.

Chief Umeh spoke to journalists at his Aguluziogbo residence at the weekend during a celebration to mark the successful end of his tenure as the national chairman of APGA, his 53th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his marriage.

The ex-party chief said the Igbos are very integral part of Nigeria, and cannot let itself be pushed around by people who have not even contributed as much as they did in the unity and development of Nigeria.

He said he was still strong enough to help further the course of his party and would also be willing to work in any capacity to help further the Igbo cause.

“I had one of the most turbulent times in Nigeria’s history of party management. I am not surprised that it was like that because it was the foundation years of the party. I will rest for weeks after serving out my tenure successfully before I come back again to tell Nigerians that the Igbos cannot be taken for a ride.

“We are watching what is going on presently in Nigeria, and I want to say that the Igbo are the most important tribe in the country, and we will not rest until the Igbo man is fully liberated. God created me an Igbo man for a purpose, and we will work to actualize that purpose.”

Speaking on his tenure as the national chairman of APGA, Umeh said he is happy that despite the turbulence that characterized his leadership, and the barrage of litigations, he was able to successfully rounds off his tenure.

He expressed satisfaction that he was able to deepen democracy in Nigeria through his actions and decisions, which also led to his being honoured by the federal government with a national honour of the Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, OFR.

“My Administration helped to shape APGA, and also brought goodwill to the party, which in turn culminated in the successes we had in 2003 where we swept positions in the South East but were rigged out. We were also able to deliver in subsequent elections. The tenure interpretation which helped Obi to complete his tenure was my idea too.

“I want to say today that I have forgiven all those who fought me while I was in power because they did not know what they were doing. I have completed my tenure, and I have no reason to bring forward
animosity. I was able to succeed even though people were fighting me because most of the decisions I took were right.

“We will come back again to reclaim our victory from all those who stole them because they are not representing us well. The Igbo have to make themselves relevant, and our leaders are supposed to work so that those who exclude us from their decisions will not succeed,” Umeh said.

Umeh said he does not blame President Buhari for some of his actions as it concern the Igbos, but he must also know that the Igbos did not vote against him because they hated him, but because they were looking for the best for themselves. He urged him to work to fully reintegrate Igbos into Nigeria after the damage of the civil war.

Meanwhile a pro-democracy group, Campaign for Democracy (CD), yesterday staged a peaceful protest against alleged political and socio-economic marginalization of Ndi-Igbo in the present structure of the country.

The protest caused human and vehicular gridlock that lasted for over two hours in the major roads and streets of Onitsha, Anambra.

Articulating the grievances of the group, South-East Chairman of CD, Comrade Uzor Uzor, said the group had carefully watched and discovered that service chiefs were appointed without an Igbo-man in the entire line-up.

“It is a bad omen to the Igbos in the present political dispensation,’’ he said.

Uzor noted that the group had sensed that the present administration might not have interest in the 2nd Niger Bridge, development of Onitsha River Port and completing the upgrading of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport.

He said that some federal roads in the South-East especially the Oba-Nnewi-Okigwe and Onitsha-Awka-Enugu roads constituted a death trap.

“We appeal that even if the former President Goodluck Jonathan used the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge to play politics in Igbo-land, President Muhammadu Buhari should revisit the contract
award, see to its execution as a way to woe the Igbo,’’ he said.

On the recent relocation of Boko Haram detainees to Anambra, the chairman wondered why the prisoners were brought to the South-East outside the jurisdiction where they committed the offence.

He alleged that it was a calculated plan to bring crisis to Igbo-land.

Uzor, however, blasted Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo for being only active during the electioneering period; adding: “the present national leadership of Ohaneze should resign’’.