Ohanaeze Ndigbo has described remarks of media mogul, Raymond Dokpesi, that power should remain in the North in 2023 as unfortunate.
Mr Dokpesi who is from the Southern part of the country had expressed support for the North to retain power against the position of the 17 Southern State governors who want it returned to the South.
The Edo-born politician in an interview with Daily Trust appealed to his People Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its presidential ticket to the North because the South-East geo-political zone which should have benefited from power shift and by extension the whole South has no political will to run the race.
But lampooning him in a statement on Tuesday signed by its National Publicity Secretary Alex Ogbonnia, titled, ‘Dokpesi Oscillates’, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization said it was not surprised at his decision to describe the South as an election liability.
“Dokpesi’s assumptions are unreflective, weird and unworthy,” the organization said. “Any person who loves Nigeria should be an advocate of power rotation, especially between the north and the South; and those our sons and daughters who lay claim to leadership should not, under any guise, give the impression that the south is a lame-duck, an electoral liability; and therefore must depend on the north to define the political trajectory of Nigeria.
“Those who lament on the bleak future of Nigeria often cite the unpredictable character of our leaders.
“The Greek political philosopher, Plato, was so dissatisfied with leaders who lacked the moral strength to act according to the common good – in other words, rulers motivated by self-interest were not good leaders. Most do not realize that the forces of morality and justice constitute the transcendental cord that holds humanity in shape.
“In other words, there can never be peace in the absence of justice. Put differently, Nigeria will remain in crises until the leaders embrace justice, equity and fairness as a guiding philosophy.
The group said it had sympathy for its southern son, “because he started as the personal assistant to Alhaji Bamaga Tukur at the Nigerian Ports Authority. Dokpesi also served under Alhaji Umaru Dikko and General Garba Wushishi. Records reveal that Alh. Bamanga Tukur paid his fees from secondary school to the post graduate level. To that extent, he owes allegiance to his benefactors and feels no compunction to profile the entire south as electoral liability.
“One can easily understand the psychological ambivalence in the Dokpesi persona. On the other hand, there is no reason for the condescension and disdain he handed over to the entire South.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is dismayed that Dokpesi could demonstrate this type of duplicity in a matter that is so clearly defined.
“The human spirit does not oscillate like a pendulum; East, West, North and South. The rotation of presidency between the North and the South is the truth. Two options are before the advocates of justice and progress in Nigeria; we either choose light or darkness,” Ohanaeze added.
