
The call was made by the national chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
Onu enjoined Ndigbo to explore other parties of national reach and structure to actualise their aspiration at the polls.
He spoke recently at Orlando, Florida, United States (U.S.),
while delivering a speech titled, “The Igbo: The Path to Nigeria’s Presidency in 2015,” as the guest speaker at the Igbo Leadership Forum of the World Igbo Congress Convention.
According to him: “For the Igbo to do well in politics, they should not put their eggs in one basket. What we have today is that most of the Igbo elite is in the ruling party. They believe that the ruling party is where the action is. This has its advantages. It certainly has many disadvantages.
“It is very important to always consider what happens in such a case if, for one reason or the other, the ruling party is unable to make available its platform. In that case every effort made, then comes to nothing. Should this be allowed to be so? No.
“The Igbo in politics should look beyond the ruling party. We should study the political terrain very carefully and take decisions, which are in our own very best interest. We should always remember what our ancestors taught us, that when answering the call of nature, we should go with two pieces of sticks. If one falls by the wayside unnoticed, the other can still be relied upon to perform its duty when the need arises.
“The Igbo need an alternative political party that has a national reach and is not perceived by the general public as a regionally based party. The ANPP, is that political party which the Igbo should embrace so that they can always make a viable choice. The Igbo need to diversify, as an insurance against the unknown and the unseen.
“The time has come when the Igbo should stop putting all their political eggs into one basket, particularly when the basket is in the custody of others. Allowing the Igbo ambition to be determined by only the ruling political party, can result in disappointment at a time that no remedy exists. This cannot be the right road to follow.”
Applauding the World Igbo Congress for their numerous efforts in helping to nurture, revive and propagate the Igbo culture worldwide, Onu urged his kinsmen to explore a viable political platform like the ANPP, founded by prominent Igbo politicians of repute.
He noted: ‘‘The ANPP has engaged other major opposition political parties in discussions with the aim of coming together to present a strong and a more attractive political platform to contest future elections. Our ultimate aim is to have two strong political parties in the county, in addition to other small parties that meet the needs of special interest groups.
“The strength of the two major political parties will be such that none of them going into an election can be sure of winning until the election is over, not to talk of boasting to be in government for 60 year or perhaps forever.
“This will introduce effective completion in the political arena such that a political party in government today can be in opposition tomorrow. It is then that those who occupy public positions will put the interest of the nation first, knowing that if they do not satisfy the people, they can be voted out of office. It is when this happens that those elected into public office will be the true servants of the people.”
Culled: Guardian
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