2019: Southeastern APC chieftains' support of President Buhari's second term bid is hypocrisy - Group

macfranc007 February 06, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Onyirioha Nnamdi

- Ochie Igbo, an organisation of young Igbo intellectuals, expresses its disapproval of the presidency's abandonment of railway system in the southeast

- Ochie Igbo complains of APC chieftains in the region endorsing the president's 2019 election bid at a time when there is a lot of crisis and insecurity issues in the country

- It describes such backing of the President Buhari's second term agenda by politicians in the region as hypocrisy

A socio-cultural organization of young Igbo intellectuals, Ochie Igbo, recently decried the construction of a rail line from Daura to Maradi in Niger Republic, when, according to the group, the rail lines in the old eastern region are dilapidated and disused.

In a statement signed by the president and secretary of the group, Chukwuma Orji and Theophilus Nwoba respectively, Ochie Igbo made its feeling known on Monday, February 5: “We have not ceased to wonder why President Muhammadu Buhari gave prompt approval for the alteration of the national transportation master plan to include the construction of a rail line linking Daura and Maradi in Niger Republic, while the seaports and rail lines in the old Eastern Region remains dilapidated and disused.” Vanguard reports.

In the same vein, Ochie Igbo had no kind words for the South East chieftains of All Progressives Congress (APC) who approved President Buhari’s second term move. The group said: “It is most shocking that some APC leaders from the South East endorsed President Buhari for the 2019 presidential election, despite the rising degree of insecurity and wanton killing and destruction of life and property in the country.”

The group stated: "The endorsement came at a time of great national grief and sadly to a President that has not condemned in strong terms or shown sentimental detachment from the mayhem and bloodletting allegedly committed by the murderous herdsmen.” Ochie Igbo group felt sad that the APC leaders see its decision as a campaign for Igbo presidency in 2023.

Ochie Igbo stated: “The endorsement of and psychophantic plea for President Buhari to support Igbo presidency in 2023, does not represent the position of the Igbo nation. Ndigbo have never been under any illusion that the Buhari presidency does not hold good prospects for the South East geo-political zone.”

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In their argument, the group further mentioned the alleged unsatisfactory nature of Buhari’s appointments, the uneven handed treatment to the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), and the, in their own opinion, carefree handling of the notorious terrorist herdsmen, as some of the reasons they took such a position.

The group said: “In the light of the foregoing, Ochie Igbo makes bold to state that the endorsement by the South East APC chieftains is nothing more than a fraudulent political transaction borne out of sheer hypocrisy and naivety. It was a demonstration of self serving politics.”

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of transportation, on Tuesday, January 16, expressed worry about challenges such as water pipes, gas pipelines, bridges, affecting the completion of Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway on time.

The minister briefing newsmen after the monthly meeting of the Project Implementation Committee with the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) said that they were “battling with time schedule.”

Rotimi Amaechi says he is busy on the streets on NAIJ.com TV