From Paul Ibe, Enugu
The much controversial claim that President Goodluck Jonathan is of Igbo origin has received another knock. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has described it as the height of deception. He warned Ndi Igbo not to be fooled again with such claim designed to confuse and compromise the peoples demand for equity.
Governor Okorocha while speaking in Enugu at his formal declaration to vie for the presidency in 2015 accused the PDP of cooking up what he referred to as huge lie that President Jonathan is an Igbo man or has Igbo connections.
He stressed that only a few Igbo personalities are merely picking crumbs from the table, while the people were being deceived that Igbos are enjoying the Jonathan presidency.
Gov. Okorocha, who is Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) governors’ forum said that Igbo leaders who are in the PDP are in it for their selfish interest, as the party “is worthless for Ndigbo”.
According to him, “no Igbo man is occupying any important position from presidency to vice president, senate president, speaker of House of Representatives, chief Judge of the federation, Inspector-General of Police, Comptroller of Prisons, Comptroller of Immigration nor any service chief.
He stated that “In 2015, I will be the president of the country,”
“Three months ago when I said I want to be president they asked, “Can an Igboman be president? … now when they count those contesting for president they will first count Rochas Okorocha, before Buhari, Atiku Abubakar and Kwankwaso.” He claimed.
Gov. Okorocha cited the death through a suicide bomb attack of over 45 students in Potiskum on Monday in alleging that the PDP government led by President Jonathan has failed the citizens of the country.
The Governor said that if he becomes President in 2015, he will replicate the successes of his administration in Imo state at the Federal level.
Dr. Chris Ngige who is the only senator from the south east on the platform of the APC, accused the federal government of deliberate marginalization of the Igbos. He said that all the federal roads in the south east have been abandoned in a deplorable condition while the 2nd Niger Bridge remains a subject of political propaganda.
The event was attended by APC stalwarts in the five states of south east zone, including some of the party,s national officers from Abuja.
