By Tony Adibe
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the highest Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has warned against using its name and platforms for political canvassing and patronage as well as personal gratification. The Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Amb. Okey Emuchay gave the warning on Tuesday in a press conference held at the Ohanaeze National Secretariat, Enugu.
Emuchay said that those who went to see political authorities and stalwarts on the name of Ohanaeze, went as private individuals not the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“It is important for me to make this clarification in view of what has been trending in the media since last Thursday”, according to him. The secretary wondered why some people are using the name of Ohanaeze for their personal and selfish enterprise, adding, “It has been turned into a kind of cottage industry”.
“Some people are moving around, going from one place to the other, promising people that they would do this on behalf of the Igbo nation using Ohanaeze’s name and platforms. To me, this is not acceptable, and we call on these people to please cease using the name of Ohanaeze to extort money from members of the public.
“This is to say that the NEC of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide did not undertake any trip to the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Gov Nyesom Wike, last week. We had made efforts in the past to seek an audience with the Governor of Rivers State. For over two years, the late President-General, I and other stakeholders had to engage with prominent Nigerians whose names I am not here to disclose.
“The last effort was a letter I delivered via DHL to the Governor on Jan. 18 this year, to among others, informing the governor that the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, High Chief Kroham Joel, had passed on. That his family had fixed a date for the funeral in his village in Ahoda West Local Government Area of Rivers State. I did not receive any response to that letter till date,” he said.
On the issue of Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the secretary said that Ohanaeze had a court order that was issued on Friday, March 10, 2023, adding that it was a restraining order on him and three others. “The legal department of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is doing the needful and in the next few days, that process will be completed. I want to say once more that Ohanaeze has no faction,” he noted.
Emuchay noted that the Ohanaeze was appealing to Igbo people to come out en masse for the March 18 Governorship and State Assembly Elections in various states within the country. “Ohanaeze Ndigbo pleads with our people wherever they reside in Nigeria to remain law abiding and troop out on Saturday, March 18, to exercise their civic responsibility,” he added.
