According to the Ohanaeze socio-cultural group, Igbos have moved on with President-elect Bola Tinubu.
This came as Ohanaeze encouraged the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to accept the outcome of the presidential election in good faith.
Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, was responding to a request for Tinubu’s resignation by the Igbo Patriotic Forum and Elders Forum.
Tinubu, according to the organization, should not be inaugurated as president until the tribunal determines the victor of the 2023 presidential election.
Isiguzoro, who condemned the call, stated that the Ime-Obi has resolved that Igbos should support Tinubu’s president until a court of competent jurisdiction rules otherwise.
In an interview with Newsmen, Isiguzoro stated that Obi is the future candidate.
According to Isiguzoro: “At this point in time, we will not associate with Igbos saying Asiwaju should not be sworn in on May 29 until the tribunal and the Supreme Court decide who becomes the president.
“They were seeing instances where, in a football match, it’s wrong to hand over a trophy to a winner when the match is still ongoing, that the election process is still on until the Supreme Court gives its mandate.
“Ohanaeze, after due consultations with Southeast governors, Igbo elders, Ime-Obi, and the general assembly in Enugu decided to caution all stakeholders in the Igbo project to be careful of their utterances and not to portray Ndigbos as being against Tinubu because of the consequences of such actions would fall back on our shoulders and Igbo populace who are mainly traders, leaving outside Igbo speaking states. The majority of them are in the Southwest, particularly in Lagos State.
“We are cautioning all those using the Igbo platform to allow the court to do justice, because Ohanaeze has nothing to lose. Those saying Tinubu should not be sworn in are calling for an interim government, and this call is very satanic and evil and does not represent the interest of Ndigbos.”
Isiguzoro said the organization wouldn’t allow some elements to pitch Igbos against the President-elect.
He added: “That is their own opinion, but Ohanaeze will attend his inauguration and not pick a fight with the President-elect.
“The position of Ohanaeze is very clear; we will continue to support whoever INEC declares as the president, and with the full backing of the Igbo governors with Rivers State, Ohanaeze is calling on those agitating for an interim government to drop it, it’s satanic.
“We are saying everybody should support Tinubu’s inauguration, but that does not stop them from doing their work. We are calling on all our 52 affiliated bodies that Ime-Obi has mandated that every agitation for the 2023 election should end because Ndigbo has moved on.
He charged the LP presidential candidate to start building meaningful bridges ahead of the next election.
“Peter Obi is the candidate of the future, nobody should use this election to create enmity because Igbos and Yorubas, nobody should pick up a fight they can’t finish against Tinubu. Igbo traders across the country would fill the heat of the proclamation of some so-called elders.”
