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A presidential aspirant on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022, who is the founder and national coordinator of both South-East APC Integrity Group founded in June 2015 and South-East APC Presidency Project 2023 he founded in January 2020, Dr. Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu, has stirred a debate with his support for Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party instead of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of his party.

He wrote:

TO PEOPLE WHO WONDER WHY I AM NOT SUPPORTING MY PARTY’S PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.

Should I support a very old (at least over 80), sick, fake and fraudulent individual for President of Nigeria?

Besides, even if Yekini Amoda Ogunlere (alias Bola Ahmed Tinubu) was a credible person, why should the South-West produce another President after 8 years of Obasanjo and 8 years of VP Osinbajo, when South-East has not produced even VP for one day since 1999?

I don’t know about those APC loyalists that people say I am discouraging from “Tinubu” support, but I know that South-Easterners are not slaves in Nigeria. Why did “Tinubu” not support a South-East person to emerge as 2023 presidential candidate?

If you followed South-East APC Presidency Project 2023 and South-East APC Integrity Group since June 2015, you should know that I joined APC for the prospect of the South-East succeeding President Buhari in 2023.

When credible but selfish, greedy, wimpish, timid and slavish South-Easterners would not declare in time (at least 18 months to general election) and other zones started coming out for 2023 Presidency, I warned that we would switch support to another serious party that would field a credible South-Easterner for the Presidency.

Is Peter Obi not credible enough? So why express surprise – even disappointment – at my current behaviour? Is APC was leading you to an early grave, would you follow her sheepishly?

For Presidency, it is Peter Obi (LP); for Governorship of Enugu State, it is Uche Nnaji (APC). No apology to anyone for that. Vote for Yekini for President and regret forever. He is very bad news.

Following reactions to his posts, he replied:

My post on why hundreds of thousands of my followers principally on platforms of South-East APC Integrity Group/South-East APC Presidency Project 2023 should support Peter Obi against “Tinubu”, has generated much heat among some individuals on the over 100 WhatsApp groups I oversee, mostly in agreement but at least two openly disagree. Richard Ozobu and Mark Eleribe disagree:

Ozobu:
“You are certainly anti-party. This very platform named Enugu State APC Unity Forum is very personal to Chinedu Jideofo because the Administrators here are himself and his wife only.
It’s good to warn those listed as participants that it’s a form of identity theft because it’s his private WhatsApp group and not APC in any manner or form.”

Eleribe:
“Good morning Sir.

As a leader, most times your personal opinion should only be expressed in your bed room where only few people will know and not in the public domain.

Once you become a leader, you don’t have right to your personal opinion because you have become an institution of knowledge and power.

As a leader, your actions and reactions to social and political issues are seen as collective decision of your group, religion, tribe, faith or nation.

When late Pa Dr F. Fashehun, the OPC leader and founder, visited Mrs Mariam Abacha some years ago to honour the invite given to him, majority of the South-West leaders and stakeholders rebuked him for that action.

When he tried to explain that it was a personal invite which he had right to, he was reminded that he was an institution representing the Yoruba race and all his personal opinion and right are secondary.

Sir, you should by now understand that many are looking unto you and the decision you make today may effect them forever.

In politics, supremacy of the party most times cannot be overturned by an individual or a group.

If you don’t agree with the party, you have the option to move to another party where your interest is being protected.

The G5 of the PDP are having their way simply because they are governors.

Not supporting the Presidential Candidate of your party is anti-party.

You can be suspended from the party.

You need to think outside the box and not be caged by a movement that can’t withstand the network of the APC PCC across the country.

I want you Sir to remember that you don’t play a game with emotions or sentiments.

I will appeal to you, Sir, to find a way to redirect your support back for the APC presidential candidate.

The reason the National Anthem ends with “SO HELP ME GOD” should not be experienced by you and this distinguished political platform.
Regards
MARK.O.O.ELERIBE

My response to Mark:
“Dear Mark Eleribe, thanks for your reaction to my post on my support for Obi as a presidential candidate. Since you have described me as “a leader”, can you give me the honour of leading and from the front? You know what I have in this instance represented since 2015: a leader of the quest for emergence of President of Nigeria of South-East extraction on APC platform (if possible), on any other platform if APC failed to avail its platform for the South-East to use to produce presidential candidate and President ultimately.

So, what is it that I have done that has deviated from that leadership objective or do you counsel me to abandon the purpose of my leadership to please people who have exhibited disdain for the South-East in APC?

Below is the reaction of another (Ignatius Nwachukwu) to the same post you reacted to:
“It’s a big sin to support SW again and ignore SE in a rotational system that has not been breached for once since 1999.

2. For the fraudulent interference of PDP and APC, there will be no party line voting next year. They have destroyed party loyalty in voting. It’s going to be person-specific. When parties fail us, we do cherry-picking.”

Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu is the founder and national coordinator of both South-East APC Integrity Group (June 2015 to date) and South-East APC Presidency Project 2023 (January 2020 to date).