By Chuks Ehirim
The efforts of Igbo political leaders to get consensus chairmanship and counsellorship candidates in the March 16 ,2013 Area Councils’ election has started yielding fruits. To this effect 10 consensus candidates have emerged out of the out of the 12 councils in Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC.
Speaking at a meeting convened by paramount traditional ruler of Igbo community in Abuja, Eze Nwosu Ibe, Igbo (1) chairman of the Igbo Political committee Chief Iroha C. Iroha said that the achievement was made through the concerted efforts of very prominent and highly placed Igbos in FCT
Iroha who commended all Igbos for the successful emergence of the counsellorship consensus candidates urged them irrespective of party affiliation to ensure the success of the candidates of the March 16 polls.
He gave the names of the consensus counsellorship candidates as Eze Patrick O. Iroanya who is contesting council position in Kabusa ward on the platform of the Action congress of Nigeria; Godwin Maduka Obi, Gwagwa ward on APGA platform; Samuel Iloh, Wuse Ward on ANPP platform; Chinedu Otuonye, Gwarimpa Ward, under the ANPP platform; Victor Uche Echeta, Nyanya Ward under ANPP platform, Prince Patrick Udeh Garki Ward, ANPP; Titan Ndubuisi Ezeorah, Karu ward, uder the ANPP platform; Luke Chielozor Aniche, Karshi Ward under the ANPP platform; Victor Ifeanyi Okafor, Orozo ward ANPP.
Iroha assured his audience that every effort was being made to ensure that out of the two remaining chairmanship candidates of Igbo extraction in the AMAC election one of them will emerge to be the flag bearer.
He stated that everything is being done to ensure that the effort to bring out a consensus chairmanship candidates amongst the two has gone without rancor.
“I want to assure you all that at the end of the day and by the special grace of God just as we have succeeded in getting consensus counsellorship candidates Ndigbo will present consensus chairmanship candidates for the AMAC election,” he stated
He added that very highly placed Igbo political leaders within the FCT have aligned themselves with this effort to give Ndigbo a common voice in the struggle for political identity in the FCT.
Speaking earlier, convener of the meeting, Eze Nwosu Ibe pleaded with all Igbos to take the forthcoming council elections coming in the FCT as a very serious business which will determine their relevance in the Federal Capital Territory.
The number one Igbo leader in the Territory, appealed to Ndigbo to abandon whatever business that they may be engaged in on the day of that election and come out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice in this case the consensus candidate.
He made a passionate appeal that Igbo traders and market women to put aside their commercial interest on March 16 and troop out to make a political statement by voting for these candidates so chosen by their leaders.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting an executive member of the Igbo Political Committee and Founder of the Solid Women Initiative for Development, Mrs. Queen Ezike said that the has started mobilization of Igbo women within AMAC for the task ahead.
“As you can see from all the meeting we have been holding in the last three weeks this is a task we have chosen to accomplish and by God’s special grace I know we shall remain victorious at the end of the day, she stated.
We have been mobilizing all Igbo women within AMAC and the entire FCT to turn out massively on the day of election to vote for the consensus candidates of Ndigbo.
Failure is not in our dictionary for this election, and we are doing everything humanly possible to make a resounding victory so that those who have been mocking us will realize that we are force to reckon with in the politics of the FCT.
Also speaking at the occasion, secretary of the group’s mobilization committee Mazi Chinedu Erondu assured that the committee will not fail those who gave it this noble assignment.
“This is an assignment given to us by our people, it is a battle cry against marginalization of the Igbo community in spite of its numerical strength and we are doing everything to ensure that those whose wish it is to relegate us to the background do not triumph over us.
“This struggle is our life and we will not relent until success comes our way and we see it in this election which is a few weeks from today.
It would be recalled that the efforts to get consensus candidates of Igbo extraction to contest in the forthcoming election was as a result of the denial of the ticket to Igbos by major political parties in the FCT especially the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Political watchers in FCT say the move is an open rebellion against the PDP by Ndigbo in Abuja. It was revealed that almost all Igbo political leaders in the FCT including: former governor of Anambra state Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former speaker of House of Representative Hon. Agunwa Anekwe, Sen. Uche Chukwumerije, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief China Nwanyanwu and a host of others are all part of this move for the Igbo identity in the political landscape of Abuja.
It was gathered that the consensus chairman ship candidate was to emerge from a meeting held last night (Wednesday), the Race was between Hon. Chambers Okorie of the United Peoples Party (UPP) and Peter Chukwuemeka, Diogwu of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).
Hon. Philip Okorie of APGA who was originally in the race stepped down last week with a strong promise to work hard for whoever emerges as the consensus candidate.
