The umbrella body of Igbo organisations globally, the Igbo World Assembly (IWA), has called on Ndigbo across Nigeria to ignore the call to boycott the 2023 general election.
The group has also declared its support for the presidential standard bearer of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.
Making the call at a world press conference recently, which was jointly addressed by IWA Vice Chairman, Christian Onuorah, and Secretary-General, Oliver Nwankwor, after their global zoom teleconference with optimism, noted that Obi, if elected, would make positive changes in Nigerian political history.
The Igbo diaspora group from 35-member countries disclosed that they voted unanimously to endorse and support Obi and the LP vice presidential candidate, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, in the Nigerian presidential election.
According to IWA, “We have taken a critical and extensive view of the major political parties, their candidate’s track records, characters, capacity and capabilities, and party manifestoes, before unanimously voting for the endorsement of the Labour Party presidential candidates, Obi and his running-mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, as the next president and vice president of Nigeria. We insist that Nigerians should come out to participate in the democratic election without fear or favour and vote for Obi and his running-mate.”
The choice of Obi, according to IWA, has generated widespread acceptance by many Nigerians, particularly among the youths and women worldwide given the fact that he is the only governor that is not in the radar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It said: “We strongly believe that Obi’s victory will turn things around for the better. Nigeria is a consumption economy. Obi has been preaching against that. The positive energy, hope, and faith in a new Nigeria will be ushering in the spirit of committed resolution to Nigerian challenges.”
According to the Diaspora group, “Obi has the track record for standing up for the rights of all Nigerians, and he is working tirelessly as he did during his tenure as the Anambra State Governor to improve the lives of all Nigerians.
“He fought corruption as a state governor; left money in an account instead of debt and promoted good governance. He has shown that he is committed to good, financial, anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability in governance. He has the commitment to work tirelessly in ensuring that the resources of our country are used for the benefit of all its citizens.
“Obi achieved massive economic growth in Anambra State as a governor and has plans for economic growth and development aligned with fairness and justice, and will help lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty-lifting Nigeria from consumption to production.”
IWA noted that: “Obi took education in Anambra State to the top in Nigeria within a very short time. He built the best network of roads in the state when compared to the rest of Nigeria. By extension, Obi has a clear vision of how best to address the challenges facing our nation, especially security and economic challenges. He has the experience and leadership skills to implement them.”
With optimism, the Diaspora Igbo group, therefore, noted that Obi as president would effectively and decisively confront the security menace facing the country, adding that during his eight years in Anambra State as the governor, he implemented zero tolerance on security, as it urged Ndigbo not to heed to the call to boycott the forthcoming general election.
