24th April, 2023
The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar can no longer project himself as a friend of the Igbo people.
Okechukwu, who is also a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC said this while reacting to recent criticisms of the composition of members nominated into the transition committee of the Federal Government by President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2023 election had criticized the nominations over claims that an Igbo person was not included.
However, Okechukwu described Atiku’s reaction as hypocritical, noting that the PDP presidential candidate has lost the moral high ground to parade himself or even pontificate as a friend of Ndigbo.
The VON DG noted that Atiku had inflicted injury on Igbo members of the PDP when he decided to snatch the presidential ticket of the party against the rotation principle of his party.
He therefore decribed Atiku’s complaints against transition committee as a ‘demonstration of crocodile tears, medicine after death and political hypocrisy’.
Okechukwu in the statement said: “I make bold to state that the former vice president had long lost the moral high ground to parade himself or even pontificate as a friend of Ndigbo. It’s sheer hypocrisy which cannot wipe out the injury inflicted on Igbo members of the PDP by our dear brother-in-law.
“One remembers with nostalgia the deep attachment of Ndigbo to PDP, even when Dr Alex Ekwueme, the party’s pioneer chairman was shoved aside at the Jos convention in 1999. They repeated the same, which was even more painful, when President Buhari nominated the late Chuba Okadigbo as his running mate in the 2003 presidential election, and Edwin Ume-Ezeoke as his running mate in the 2007 presidential election.
“Though I subscribe to inclusive politics, Atiku Abubakar had all it takes to have supported Peter Obi for the PDP’s ticket during the party’s primary election but did not.
“Nobody should fight any proxy war on behalf of Ndigbo which is like the fabled Beetle, and nobody can kill the Beetle.”
“We are the fabled Beetle, we are Zikists and patriots per excellence more than any other tribe. Atiku was in his statement shedding mere crocodile tears. I stand to be contradicted; we invest wherever we live and we reside in all the nooks and crannies of our dear country. Our stance remains, let the Eagle perch as well as the Dove.
“Methinks that Atiku who publicly proclaimed naka sai naka and Namu! Namu! (Your own is your own to his northern brothers) is romancing Ndigbo for a possible run-off, in the assumption eventuality of cancellation of the poll. As a believer in politics of inclusion as the ligament bonding our dear nation, one will advise Asiwaju Bola Tinubu not to resort to Tiwa! Tiwa! (my own is my own).”