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Igbo leaders, under the aegis of
Eastern Leaders Forum (ELF) yesterday asked the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) to fill the vacant position of the party’s national
chairman vacated by Okwesilieze Nwodo, before the April elections.

The deputy national chairman of the
PDP, Haliru Bello Mohammed, has been acting as the national chairman
since Mr Nwodo’s resignation over series of litigations against his
membership and chairmanship of the party.

At a press conference in Abuja, the
group appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to hasten the process of
appointing a substantive national chairman who should be from the south
east zone before the April general elections. They said such an
appointment will give Igbo people a sense of belonging in the party.

The group forwarded names of two
prominent members of the party from the south east to Mr Jonathan and
the PDP leadership last week for consideration as the party’s national
chairman.

The names of a former speaker of the
House of Representatives, Agunwa Anakwe and a former chairman of the
PDP in Anambra State, Dan Ulasi were allegedly presented to Mr Jonathan
during his visit to Akwa Ibom State.

Chukwuemeka Ezeife, leader of Forum,
argued that Mr Jonathan’s inability to respond to their earlier demand
to fill the position has become a source of worry to the group as some
of the president’s opponents are already exploiting the situation to
their advantage.

“We call on President Jonathan and the
PDP to hearken to the voice of Ndigbo and restore to them the position
of the national chairmanship of the PDP before the general election,”
he said.

In need of goodwill

Mr Ezeife, a former governor of
Anambra State said the zone will still vote for the PDP in the April 9
presidential poll, if the president fails to act as demanded by the
group. He, however, warned that it will make the Igbo race “feel
marginalized and removed from the current scheme of things.” Mr Ezeife
confirmed that the PDP governors in the zone were initially opposed to
the appointment of another chairman from their domain to replace Mr
Nwodo, but have since changed their minds and joined forces with the
Igbo leaders to demand that the position be filled by an Igbo.

“While some may have shown some apathy
towards it several weeks back because of the freshness of the
Nwodo/Chime saga, the same cannot be said today,” Mr Ezeife said. “The
south east governors, as elected representatives of the people, would
not look elsewhere when the agitation for the position has heightened.
They are now even in the vanguard to drive the present process to
ensure the emergence of a truly acceptable national chairman.”

He said that the people of the zone
will need the goodwill of Nigerians to achieve the ambition, pointing
out that the south east zone cannot go it alone.