JONATHAN'S ENDORSEMENT: SOUTH-EAST GOVS, SPEAKERS ON THE RIGHT PATH – IGBO GROUP

By NBF News

Amid criticism over the abortion of Igbo political leaders conference in Owerri last week, an Igbo socio-political organisation, the Igbo Redemption Group (IRG), has commended the governors and speakers of Houses of Assembly in the South-east for their courage in standing against the conference.

It also gave them a pat on the back for endorsing President Goodluck Jonathan for 2011 Presidential election. The group, led by renowned lawyer, Chief Chimezie Ikeazor, SAN, while reacting to the purported lock-out of some Igbo leaders off the venue of a conference in Owerri, Imo State last Monday said the governors had done the right thing because the conveners of the conference had an agenda which was at variance with those of the majority of Igbos.

The governors, according to him had decided to be in the political mainstream by pitching their tent with President Jonathan in the light of present political developments. IRG, which dissociated itself from the aborted meeting, regretted the collection of Igbo leaders who were used to cover up the real intention of the organizers of the conference who pretended to be fighting the Igbo cause when in actual fact, they were not.

According to the Group, the organizers of the meeting had already endorsed a northern presidential candidate and were desperate to co-opt others into their agenda by telling the people they were pursuing Igbo agenda.

'It must be noted that the Igbo Redemption Group had issued a disclaimer to its portrayal as one of the joint-conveners of the Owerri meeting because we were never contacted and we never discussed any meeting with any one or group.

'We have declared our support for President Jonathan and we could not have been part of the plot to draft Igbos to the camp of another candidate from the North which leaders of the aborted conference had openly declared their preference for', it stated in a statement signed jointly by Chief Ikeazor, Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu and Delly Ajufo, the National Publicity Secretary.