Abdusalam Abubakar's Military Junta Prevented Ndiigbo From Having Additional State - Okorie

Presiden-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Enwo Igariwey addressing the meeting

Chief Chekwas Okorie, the national Chairman of the United Progressive Party, UPP, has revealed that, unknown to Igbo's, it was the administration of Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar that made it almost impossible for the people of South East to get additional state.

In his contribution to a meeting held in Enugu on friday, where some Igbo leaders emphasized the need to harmonize their position on various national issues before going to the forth coming national conference, Chief Okorie expressed fears that the desire by Ndigbo to get an additional state might not be realized at the conference.

Giving reasons why it has not been possible for the people of the South East to have the additional state, he said it was neither Ndigbo nor the National Assembly that made it difficult to create additional states but purely the military that bequeathed power to civilian democracy.

According to him, it was easier for a Carmel to pass the eye of a needle than for a new state to be created owing to the 1999 constitution that was yet to be reviewed.

Okorie said  unless the 1999 constitution bequeathed to Nigerians by the military administration is altered, there is no way anybody can create additional state in Nigeria.

“Our not getting additional state is the conspiracy of the military junta headed by Abdulsalam Abubakar that handed down the 1999 Constitution, " he said.

“Under the provision of the constitution, it will take the proverbial Carmel to pass through the eye of a needle before state or states are created..

“You need to go and look at those provisions. They are extremely difficult to meet and it was deliberately put like that. During the Constitutional Conference in 2005, that’s why I didn’t bother myself with state creation but I insist on making the six zones, federating units.

“If the six zones become federating units that’s equality: whether you have ten states in one zone or three states in one zone does not make much difference. That’s the practical approach to it.”

The participants at the meeting had expressed optimism that the conference would afford the Igbo the opportunity to make legitimate demands that would bring to an end the long marginalisation of the zone especially the creation of an additional state in the South East, which has been top on the agitation by Ndigbo for quite a long time.

On the possibility of an Igboman becoming the president of Nigeria come 2015 or in the near future, Okorie was of the view that the only political party that gives an Igboman the opportunity to aspire for the exalted office of the president is his own political party, the UPP.

He maintained that other political parties do not have it in their agenda to give the Igboman the opportunity to become the next president of Nigeria.

“Is there the possibility that APC will make any Igboman presidential candidate in 2015 or later? The answer is No. Is there the possibility that PDP will make any Igboman presidential candidate in 2015 or later. The answer is No,” he said.

“What this implies is that we must support and embrace the only political party which has again passed a resolution by its national executive committee, EXCO, zoning presidential slot to the South East geopolitical zone. That political party is the one I have also founded with the collaboration of some patriotic Nigerians – the United Progressive Party, UPP, with the head of the tiger as its symbol,” he added.

Also speaking, Ohanaeze President General, Chief Igariwey said the umbrella Igbo organization is already working with various Igbo groups to ensure unity among the race before moving to the confab.

Present at the meeting held at Modotel Hotel, Enugu were Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr. Sam Egwu, Dr. Mrs Uche Azikiwe, Dr Nkemka Jombo-Ofor, Igwe Prof Sam Ukpabi, Prof Joe Irukwu and Obi Gibson Nwosu, Eze-Uzu Awka.

Others were Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, Prof Uzodimma Nwala, Dr Mbazulike Amaechi, Igwe Aja Nwachukwu, Dr. Philip Atanmuo, Sen Offia Nwali, Chief Simon Okeke, Chief Chekwas Okorie and Chief Ken Emechebe among others.