By Tony Adibe
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has strongly condemned the statement circulating in social media credited to one of its members, Chief Jackson Omenazu, wherein he faulted the emergence of Chief Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu as the President General of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, alleging that the process breached Ohanaeze’s constitution.
NewsBits recalls that last week, Chukwu emerged the President General of Ohanaeze after a process set in motion at the Ohanaeze National Secretariat, GRA, Enugu. Chukwu is expected to pilot the affairs of the socio-cultural organisation within 27 days to exhaust the balance of Imo State tenure. He is also, within the stipulated time conduct the election that will usher in the next Ohanaeze’s leader who ought to be from Rivers State.
But reacting to Omenazu’s harsh criticism, Ohanaeze’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia in a statement issued on Monday, said that Omenazu was fond of needlessly attacking the leadership of Ohanaeze without getting his facts right. He said it was quite wrong of Omenazu to accuse Ohanaeze Ndigbo of having “a hidden agenda” to deny Rivers State her turn to produce the next Ohanaeze’s President General, insisting that such baseless allegation was unnecessary since the process of producing a new PG through election is being handled by Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu and his team.
The Ohanaeze statement is below:
“The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to an online circulation by one Chief Jackson Omenazu, wherein he criticized the deliberations at the Imeobi/General Assembly of Ohanaeze held at its Enugu National Secretariat on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
“According to Omenazu, the meeting of Imeobi/ General Assembly did not meet the required provisions of the Ohanaeze constitution; namely:
a. That the required quorum for either Imeobi or the General Assembly was not met.
b. That “in the absence of the President-General and the Deputy President-General, the Vice President, whose state is next in alphabetical order, shall act. “Consequently, Dr. Kingsley Dozie, as the acting President General from Abia state, should have chaired the irregular meeting”.
“Other issues Omenazu raised bothered on his long-harbored interest to replace the Late Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Joel Kroham who died in 2022.
“And that “Ndiigbo in Rivers are deeply worried about these misguided developments”. According to him, that “indications are beginning to emerge that there are hidden agendas that are associated with the consuming quest by the Imo State to do things unconstitutionally.”
“Chief Omenazu is a very well-known social media personality whose dispositions and idiosyncrasies have become a public property. Ohanaeze was therefore tempted to ignore the misguided and misleading publication but for the sake of the unsuspecting gullible public, this intervention became very expedient.
“In the first place, the essence of the Imeobi/ General Assembly of Ohanaeze was;
(a)To secure the final authority of the Imeobi to the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC) that the next President General of Ohanaeze should come from the Rivers State in line with the constitutional provisions.
(b). To inform the Imeobi that the death of Chief Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo created a leadership vacancy in the Igbo socio-cultural body
(c). To consider the request by the people of Imo State and the resolution of Ohaneze NEC to the effect that Imo State should exhaust the remaining 27 days, as the president general in line with the Ohanaeze procedures. To this end, Imo State chapter of Ohanaeze led by Barr. C J Ihemedu and the Imo State Council of Elders led by HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, presented Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu, as a replacement for Chief Iwuanyanwu.
d. To authorize the composition of the Electoral Committee and the Screening Committee for the purpose of the Ohanaeze election on January 10, 2025.
“The above four points received a seal of approval by the Imeobi Ohanaeze. The house was dissolved to a General Assembly whose function it is to legitimize Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“Before the deliberations began, the Secretary General, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR whose duty it is, in line with the constitution to convene an Imeobi meeting pleaded for a doctrine of necessity, as was applied on April 30, 2023 for the replacement of Prof George Obiozor with Chief Iwuanyanwu as the president General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. He further pleaded for understanding that the Igbo are at a crossroads arising from an unusual sequence of deaths that had struck Ohanaeze in particular and notable Ndigbo in general. He explained that invoking the doctrine of necessity was most expedient to navigate through the unusual phenomenon.
“It is important to note that on the demise of Chief Iwuanyanwu on July 25, 2024, the Imo State indicated interest in exhausting the balance of their tenure. Several other perspectives and controversies were generated on the succession of Iwuanyanwu even when the body was still in the morgue. The NEC of Ohanaeze decided to allow the Secretary General, Ambassador Emuchay, to perform all the administrative functions pending the emergence of a new president general. In other words, there was never a time the NEC adopted anybody as the Acting President General and as such, the Omenazu presumptions are impotent.
“We have had occasions to reply Chief Omenazu in the past on the process of replacing the Deputy President General from Rivers State. There is no doubt there was a letter nominating Omenazu as a replacement to Kroham but he was advised that it is most insensitive for Ohanaeze to adopt a candidate based on a mere letter signed by multiple persons that were unknown to Ohanaeze. The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Rivers State, Dr. Lucky Ekeji addressed the Imeobi/General Assembly that he had advised Omenazu severally “to emulate the Imo State approach for a replacement of their deceased.
In each occasion the Imo delegation was led by the Chairman, Imo State Council of Elders, HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, His Majesty Eze Oliver Ohanwe and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Imo State. And that it is inconceivable for Ohanaeze to adopt a candidate for a high and sensitive position such as the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo based on an ordinary letter”. True to type, Omenazu attacked Ekeji, to the astonishment of the entire audience.
“For the eminent Igbo across the globe, the meeting of December 14, 2024, was a milestone and a jubilation galore. This is because, a destructive rumour had pervaded both the grounds and the skies that the current NEC of Ohanaeze intends to subvert the Ohanaeze constitution against the turn of Rivers State to produce a President General.
“Many Igbo dignitaries welcomed the emergence of Nze Chukwu and the vital decisions that were reached at the meeting. Some of them include His Excellency, Barr. Dr. Peter Mbah, the Governor of Enugu State ably represented by the Secretary to the Government of Enugu State, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, Rear Admiral Allison Madueke, GCON, Prince Garry Igariwey, Sen. Eyinnaya Abaribe, Prof. ABC Nwosu, Chief Simon Okeke, Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi, Chief Ejiofor Onyia, Dr. Mrs Kate Ezeofor, Chief Chekwas Okorie, Engr Chike Madueke, Archbishop Prof. E O Chukwuma, Chief Emeka Diwe, Eze Ibe Nwosu, Chief Keneth Okeugo, Chief Mike Okiro, Prof Ven. Chinedu Nebo, Dr. Uche Uzochukwu, Dr. Pat Onukwuli, Chief Ikechukwu Ujah, Chief Marcellus Nlemigbo, Ambassador Eddy Onuoha, Dr. Eme Okoro, Dr Ngozi Olejeme, Eze Uche Dimgba, Eze Christopher Offia, Chief Tony Ukasanya, etc. Others include the Presidents of Ohanaeze, Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers.
“For instance, Omenazu cited a letter by the South East Governors Forum led by Sen. Hope Uzodimma, the Governor of Imo State, where it was stated that there should be an election on January 10, 2025 to produce a President General from Rivers State. It is certain that Omenazu cannot substantiate his most uncharitable claims that “Imo State has hidden agendas that are associated with the consuming quest to do things unconstitutionally.” Once more, Chief Omenazu is advised that his penchant for attacking the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igbo leaders and almost all the past and current presidents general is simply an invidious path to self-attrition.
“May I use this opportunity to discountenance a fake list of members of Imeobi being circulated by a restless mischievous cantankerous group whose only agenda is simply to disarticulate Ndigbo. I most authoritatively inform that a list of Members of Imeobi is unknown to the Ohanaeze constitution. What is contained in the Ohanaeze constitution is simply the criteria for qualification as a member of Imeobi.
“Finally, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu has stated unequivocally that, there will be a transparent and credible election for the new National Executive Committee (NEC) led by a President General from the Rivers State come January 10, 2025.
“Chukwu is a man of virtues and solid character. He has a pedigree for unassailable courage and moral uprightness. He is the most suitable person that will deliver the Igbo to the Promised Land.”
