House of Representatives hopeful, Captain Casmir Nwafor on Sunday broke down in tears while addressing members of the Oko People’s Union (OPU), Lagos branch at their meeting venue in Okota, Lagos state.
Miffed by the various injustices meted out by the Igbos in Nigeria and the seeming inability of the Igbos themselves to take their destinies in their hands and rise up to the occasion and help themselves out, Nwafor who is also a legal practitioner broke down in tears thus making it impossible to continue with his speech.
He pointed out that the condition of the Igbos worsened since the coming into power of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 with his lopsided policies which sought to destroy Igbo man and his means of livelihood even as he cited the appointments made by President Buhari where no Igbo man is hold strategic and key position in his government.
Captain Nwafor who is seeking to represent Orumba North/South Federal Constituency of Anambra State said that, “Since Buhari came to power last two years, all his policies, all his actions are against Ndigbo coming from the appreciation of Dollar against the Naira. Dollar didn’t just appreciated against the Naira; it was a calculated attempt by government to frustrate Ndigbo whose children are schooling abroad. Taking it further, so many items on import list were banned, all in attempt to punish our people.
“But it pained me that while this was going on, we have people in the National Assembly and in government but they were unable to voice out leading to the emergence of Nnamdi Kanu as the people who are supposed to speak suddenly became dumb. All the appointments from the north to the extent that today, all the heads of security agencies are from Hausa/Fulani hegemony.
I have been in the Army; let me tell you the truth, what we have is Hausa/Fulani Army, not Nigerian Army. We don’t have anything, we are losing it hence my reason for resigning from the Army because I fear that one day, my life will go in for it because of my kind of person because I don’t hide my feelings. I used to tell my superiors about the injustices in the system and they advised that I resign from the Army and join politics because if I should continue this way in the military, I may go in for it.
Having slept and thought over it, I reasoned that the best thing for me was to resign which I did”.
He however informed the gathering that he was offering himself to serve his people of the Orumba North/South Federal Constituency in the House of Representative come 2019 general election under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to lend his voice against the many injustices against Ndigbo.
“I have consulted a lot of people including the present Senator Representing Anambra Central in the Senate, Sir Victor Umeh, former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife (Okwadike) who I worked with in the past while he was governor of the state in 1991 and the current member representing Orumba North/South Federal Constituency, Chief Ben Nwankwo and he assured me that was no longer contesting for the seat but would want to vie for the senatorial seat. Then I had to resign from the Army in April.
“When we floated APGA, I was the first Youth Leader of APGA Anambra State, on my leaving APGA, our people from Oko were nowhere to be seen in the politics of APGA, thank that Ide (Alex Ekwueme) was around that time but now he is no more, are we going to remain like those without help? Oko is now a platform to garner votes in Anambra State but we can get that votes and give them to our children”, he said.
He recounted what he used his position in the Army to do for the community to include placement of Oko indigenes in their choice states in the National Youth Service Scheme, placement of indigenes in the various security agencies adding that if he could do these little with the little power he had then, he could imagine what he would do when placed in a higher position.
He therefore solicited assistance from them in terms of prayers and financial support promising not to disappoint them if elected.
“I have the hunger and the desire to go and work for Oko and Orumba. So, what I need from you is monetary assistance and contacts. I am begging you for assistance, what we come to do is to rescue our people. They don’t kill our people with machete but they are killing our people’s businesses with policy and whosoever you killed his business; you have killed him. So, let it not be that Casmir is contesting, no! I told them at OPU Abuja that if there is any better candidate from Oko contesting this same position, I will step down for him and support him. What matters is that Oko indigene is there”, he stated.
Responding, the Chairman of OPU Lagos branch, Mr. Amaechi Okoli wished that the branch had the power to decide who gets APGA ticket for the Orumba North/South Federal Constituency seat even as recalled an adage that says ‘I have not seen a man cry until a man dies’ to drive home his point adding that Captain Nwafor had done his part and that the rest is left for them.
“And we are not going to pass buckets round here and now in a bid to raise money for his ambition. Whatever you are doing, no matter who you are and you don’t have anybody in government, you are nobody. So, if our own is there, I feel that we will benefit from it. The man that came to address us is somebody we know very well, by the grace of God, he has told you the little he did from the little position he had attained.
“So, this is not Casmir’s fight, it is a fight for OPU Lagos branch and by the grace of God, it will benefit us because there has not been anybody that we supported that lost, we have never been a failure. If you have good agenda without money, you are going nowhere because people want what they will eat now. That was what he came to tell us here, he has good ambition, he has the interest of our community at heart but he needs financial support. I want us to see it as our fight, my appeal is whoever he approached, let him assist him in any little way he can”, he said.
He however encouraged the Captain to remain focus in his ambition praying that God will help him realize his dream even as he advised him to free to approach every Oko indigene resident in Lagos trusting that members would cooperate with him.
“And I will plead with you that if you succeed, remember the promises you made to us here today, remember this your tears that dropped here today because if you derail, I will not faill to remind you of today”, he admonished.
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