The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide(OYC) has warned the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar against any plan to drop Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.
Atiku has been under intense pressure after picking the Delta governor as running mate as Governor Nyesom Wike loyalists and other aggrieved persons and governors in the party have insisted that Okowa should be dropped and and replaced him with his Rivers State counterpart.
Wike’s loyalists are also said to be making the same demand as the only way to make room for peace in the party.
However, in a statement on Tuesday in Enugu, the youths said Atiku should drop Okowa to his peril.
The statement signed by the National President of OYC, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and the Secretary, Comrade Obinna Achionye said any attempt to replace Okowa would backfire.
Nnabuike said the Igbo would not accept losing out completely in the scheme of things, having lost the opportunity to produce the presidential candidate of either the PDP or the All Progressives Congress(APC).
“There is no need to repeat that we expected both the PDP and the APC to zone their presidential tickets to the Southeast, but that did not happen.
“Though this has been overtaken by events, the only consolation we have is the choice of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, considering that Okowa is a true Igbo son.
“Having said this, how could anyone wake up and think of replacing Okowa with Wike? As much as we know that Atiku reserves the right to choose whoever he wills as his running mate, we also have the right to vote according to our desire.
“And that desire is clear- that the PDP would not get one vote from Igbo land should they field Wike, because this is a man who disowned Ndigbo. He said he is not one of us. Should the PDP make the mistake of pairing him with Atiku, the PDP will be roundly rejected during the presidential election,” the Ohanaeze youths warned.
The OYC added: “With the new Electoral Act, those who constituted themselves into emperors are going to be disgraced during the polls. The time for bogus fake results is over, so nobody should be deceived.”
