Evangelist Elliot Uko is the founder of Igbo Youth Movement and leader South-East Democratic Coalition. In this interview, he speaks on the Buhari Presidency and other national issues. Excerpts:
How is the South-East welcoming the new government?
We, in the South-East, voted massively for President Jonathan, and our candidate didn’t win. So, normally, adjusting to the reality will take some time. Some clever people will like to exploit the situation to drive their own personal agenda, and cloak it as if it is the South-East agenda, and these are to be expected.
The youth wing of Ohanaeze is allegedly giving President Buhari, a list of people to appoint as ministers. Is this a South-East agenda?

President Muhammadu Buhari attending to some files in his office as he resumed duties at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida
I am embarrassed by that. The same Ohanaeze youths went to Otuoke to welcome Jonathan the day he returned there. The following week, they issued a statement calling on the Buhari regime to come and collect a list of the PDP South-Easterners who just finished working with Jonathan, who they want him to prosecute.
The same Ohanaeze youths called for Uwazurike’s arrest. When I phoned Uwazurike, he said he believed it was the elders that wanted to sacrifice him, and use his blood to endear themselves to Buhari.
The same Ohanaeze Youths said that they are now another Ojukwu, to fight Buhari. The same Ohaneze Youths are now giving Buhari, a list of people to employ. It’s obvious they can’t do all these without their elders prodding them, but the desperation to endear themselves to Buhari is embarrassing the entire Igbo nation.
Not even Arewa, not the Afenifere, has drawn a list for Buhari. People are wondering why Ohanaeze Youths should be drawing a list of ministers for Buhari. I don’t speak for Ohanaeze. I don’t even know the one which is the right Ohanaeze. There is so much confusion. I’ve stayed away from them for a long time. I’ve not spoken to any of their leaders for more than two years.
Do you have faith in President Buhari to rebuild Nigeria?
President Buhari has said he is ready to rebuild Nigeria. It is wrong to doubt him. The proper thing to do is to believe him, support him, and pray for him. If he fails, it will not be because we failed to support him.
If he treats Ndigbo well, do you think they will swing with the APC?
I don’t care about APGA, APC, Labour Party, PDP, whatever, I don’t belong to any one. But I do not think that it’s fair for anybody to expect Ndigbo to now suddenly become the undertakers of the PDP.
Some years ago, I was in the sitting-room of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and he asked a top PDP man in the room, ‘Is it true that in the hall where Obasanjo announced that he had chosen Yar’Adua to run for President, that there was no Igbo man there?’ The PDP man said yes, and Ojukwu wept.
Ojukwu wept because at that time, the Secretary of PDP was an Igbo man, Ojo Maduekwe. But in the hall where Obasanjo invited other people and announced that he had decided to nominate Umaru Yar’Adua as the President, there was no Igbo man there.
It was Ahmadu Ali that picked up the phone and called Ojo Maduekwe to inform him. So the PDP has always excluded Ndigbo, in their arrogance. So, if Ndigbo decide to be undertakers of PDP, so help them God. The political dynamics of Nigeria has never involved Ndigbo, because Ndigbo are upright, sincere, and fair-minded. What Ndigbo want from Nigeria is a just, equitable country that is fair to all. Other people want a Nigeria where they will control and intimidate others. Others want a Nigeria where one of their own will be Head of State. Other people want a Nigeria where Ndigbo will be oppressed and sidelined, so that they will feel that they are the ones in charge, but Ndigbo don’t dream of afflicting anybody.
If President Buhari gives Ndigbo a true sense of belonging, do you think Ndigbo will embrace APC?
The answer is neither here nor there. What I want President Buhari to know is that if he doesn’t give Ndigbo a sense of belonging, then those elders who told us that he is an Igbo-hater will be correct, will be proven right. If he gives Ndigbo a sense of belonging, by listening to our cry to restructure this country, Ndigbo will finally come to see that he is not the evil as we have been told, and Ndigbo will begin to appreciate him, to work with him, maybe even embrace him. The choice is entirely his. We are a people oppressed and marginalized. We came into Nigeria with all our heart, but some other people convinced themselves that they had to blackmail Ndigbo in order for them to remain relevant.
When the FCT was constituted and built, go and check the records, the people that allocated the lands at the FCT made sure that Igbo people got less than 5 per cent of all the allocations. 20 years on, Ndigbo own almost half of Abuja. How? Because they bought from those who got the allocations. Those who got the allocations finally sold their allocations to the Igbo.
The degree of envy towards the Igbo man is so frightening. Just look at this. Some people are working hard so that President Buhari will not appoint an Igbo man as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. That is the degree of the hatred towards the Igbo man.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/buhari-adjusting-to-reality-will-take-ndigbo-some-time-uko/

Make we dey watch buhari...na him get d ball...make we see wr he go play d ball.

I just realised that av walked thousand miles just to read this post.

One more question sire??

Is it just for Ndiigbo to still remain Nigerians when there is a second option??