Fresh leadership crisis erupts in OhanaezeNdigbo

The EnwoIgariwey led OhanaezeNdigbo and the Ralph Obioha led splinter caretaker committee have renewed their hostilities following the insistence of the latter to hold world Igbo conference where a new leadership of the Pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization will be elected. MAURICE OKAFOR in Enugu reports

From every indication, the image and reputation of the much revered OhanaezeNdigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural body will be muddled before other tribal cultural organizations like ‘Arewa’ for the Hausas and Afenifere for the Yorubas, unless there is a new thinking. The internal war that has erupted among prominent Igbo sons and daughters over the tenure of Professor EnwoIgariwey led executive and conflicting interests of Igbo political leaders has injected a simmering crisis within the leadership of the organization.

At present, some prominent Igbo men have staged a revolt against the continued leadership of the organization by Prof. Igariwey’s-led executive. The group has appointed an Ohanaeze caretaker committee led by Chief Ralph Obioha to organize and fine tune ways of electing a new Ohanaeze leadership on or before the end of September 2015. The group is insisting that the constitution of OhanaezeNdigbo permits for two year tenure for every elected executive, on the strength of which Igariwey tenure has expired.

The Chief Obioha led Ohanaeze caretaker committee made good their threat to supplant the Igariwey led executive of the organization, by opening a parallel office of the organization at number 19 Nike Avenue, GRA Enugu. The Hallmark checks revealed that Igariwey’s executive still holds firm control of the OhanaezeNdigbo central secretariat, located at No 7 Park Avenue, GRA, Enugu. Though they have not organised any function at the secretariat in recent times.

In a chat with Hallmark, the chairman of Ohanaeze caretaker committee, Chief Obioha disclosed that his committee has the mandate of Igbo leaders to organize an Igbo international conference, to hold in Enugu within the month of September 2015. According to Obioha, representatives of every other organization of Ndigbo living in Diaspora are expected at the September world Igbo conference in Enugu, during which a fresh election for OhanaezeNdigbo leadership will be conducted.

He stressed that the choice of Enugu, the Coal City state capital stems from the fact that Enugu has maintained its streak as the capital of the Igbo nation. He disclosed to Hallmark that the new President General of OhanaezeNdigbo will be produced by Enugu state, in line with the rotational principle of the organization and will take over from Igariwey, who hails from Ebonyi State.

Said Obioha “Patriotic Igbos constituted us for this assignment, we are on a rescue mission and the task before us as a committee is to conduct a credible election. Chief Ralph Obioha is not interested in becoming the substantive President General of OhanaezeNdigbo.

Igariwey when contacted on telephone by Hallmark after series of efforts simply described the action and threat by the Obioha led caretaker committee in conducting a fresh leadership election for OhanaezeNdigbo as nonsense. He stressed that his executive is elected to serve a four year tenure that will end in 2017.

He explained that the amended OhanaezeNdigbo leadership constitution that permits for a four year tenure came about in 2010,upon which his predecessor, late Ralph Uwaechue served for four years with him[Igariwey] as Deputy President General. Thereafter, he was elected in 2013 to replace Uwaechue, to which his tenure will end in 2017. Therefore, no group with the claims of projecting the interest of Ndigbo has the locus standi to organize a fresh election of OhanaezeNdigbo leadership before 2017.

Responding to the envisaged clash of interest in holding an international conference for the Igbo nation in Enugu within the month of September 2015, being planned by Obioha and his group, Igariwey told Hallmark that every Igbo group has the right to organizing activities that are meant to project Igbo cultural values and unity. He however, cautioned that it must not clash with September 29, which is exceptional for the annual celebration of Igbo day.

Far beyond the existing cold war among the Igbo elders over tenure of leadership of Igariwey leadership of OhanaezeNdigbo, the Hallmark investigations revealed that the political stand of Igariwey led OhanaezeNdigbo during the 2015 presidential election, is one factor that has torn the Igbo political class and gladiators within Ohanaeze umbrella apart.

The Hallmark recalled that at the dying minute of the debate on who, the Igbo nation will give their collective vote, Igariwey used his office as the President General of OhanaezeNdigbo and called on the Igbo nation to throw their weight behind the second term bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He acted against the advice and opinions from many concerned Igbo leaders and political class, who hold the view that the Igbos must be allowed to vote according to their conscience. An APC chieftain in the South East zone cautioned that “Igbos must not put all their eggs in one basket. Chief AmaechiMbazuluike and his cohorts who operate under the aegis of ‘Igbo leaders of thought’ raised questions that the administration of the then President Jonathan, didn’t do much to alleviate the structural and infrastructural decay of federal government facilities within the South East zone, given the quantum of support it received from Ndigbo during the 2011 presidential election. This support stemmed from the clarion call from OhanaezeNdigbo leadership then under the leadership of the late Uwaechue.

There were series of allegations that Igariwey’s leadership of OhanaezeNdigbo received financial inducement from Aso Rock through some Igbo politicians serving in Jonathan’s cabinet to have taken the decision. Whichever way, the Hallmark checks at the moment showed Igariwey is currently at the receiving end of his political gamble to have urged the Igbo nation to vote en masse for Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election. Whether the clarion call was the magic that made PDP to have scored higher votes across the South East than the APC presidential candidate, President MuhammaduBuhari is not the main issue.

Igariwey’s continuation in office as OhanaezeNdigbo president general is being threatened from several quarters. The UPP presidential candidate, Chief ChekwasOkorie, who is also the leader of ‘Igbo Ezue Cultural Association’ and a foundation member of OhanaezeNdigbo, in an interview with Hallmark in Enugu expressed disappointment with the stand of the Igariwey led OhanaezeNdigbo on the last presidential election. He alleged that he sold away the Igbo nation over a pot of porridge. Okorie who is popularly referred to as ‘OjeOziNdigbo'[messenger of the Igbos] vowed to pursue the cause of restructuring the leadership of OhanaezeNdigbo.

Said Okorie, “I feel disappointed, but I feel that Ndigbo have been betrayed by Ohanaeze more than I feel betrayed. You see, they have brought shame to Ndigbo. Look at an umbrella body like Ohanaeze, being now subjected to public ridicule. They are now accusing them of collecting N5 billon for an endorsement and they are denying they didn’t collect. But, definitely, they are dishing out some money to chapters of Ohanaeze. Where did that money come from? At the same time, the current President General of Ohanaeze is shamelessly telling the public that RotimiAmaechi and RochasOkorocha are funding the other side. That is the Ralph Obioha, MbazulikeAmaechi side.

On the way forward for Igbo leadership, Okorie told Hallmark,’ You will notice from now on, we are going to build Igbo-Ezue back to a formidable socio-political and cultural organization that will proceed to give Igbo people that leadership that they have been looking for, in terms of promoting their cultural heritage, defending everything that is Igbo and not concede or sell its influence for a pot of porridge’.

In a telephone chat, Evangelist Elliot Ukoh, the President of Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, alleged that both Igariwey leadership of OhanezeNdigbo and the chief Ralph Obioha led Ohanaeze working committee, are not pursuing Igbo interest but personal interests. Therefore it is his wish [Elliot] to be left out of the current tussle over the leadership of OhanaezeNdigbo.

However, Igariwey told Hallmark that he has no regrets to have told the Igbo nation to cast their votes for Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election, in as much as he bears no grudge with the subsequent election of President Buhari as the president of the country.

Corroborating this stand, Dr Joe Nwaorgu, the Secretary General of OhanaezeNdigbo said based on the clarion call of Ohanaeze’s leadership; Jonathan scored high votes across the South East and South-South zones where there are dense Igbo populations.

Nwaorgu alleged that their adversaries are grandstanding because President Buhari won and they devised to cheap propaganda, hoping to be favoured with political appointments. He expressed optimism that if eventually they fell, they will come back to realign with their leadership of OhanaezeNdigbo with Igariwey as President General and himself as Secretary General.

“They are trying to grand stand because Buhari won. Those of them who are pursuing political appointments from President Buhari should go ahead. Our tenure started in January 12, 2012 and it is a four year tenure, which will end in 2017.

Hallmark gathered from authoritative sources that above other reasons that informed the decision of Igariwey led Ohanaeze leadership to mobilize Ndigbo to give block votes to Jonathan are the material influences from several Igbo sons and daughters, who were serving Jonathan’s cabinet. The Ohanaeze leadership had to fall to their dictates because it always go cap in hand in search of money from the Igbo political class in power at both federal and state level, for sponsorship of their programmes and projects.

The greatest problem confronting the leadership of the apex Igbo body of all Igbo socio-cultural organizations remains the fact that it always depends on people in government or Igbos in Diaspora for donations and sponsorships of their projects and programmes. The socio-cultural organization has no source of generating income at the moment, after over three decades of its establishment. Precisely, it was founded in 1976 by prominent Igbo scholars, namely Professor Ben Nwabueze, Dr Pius Okigbo, late K.O. Mbadiwe, late Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Jerome Udoji, among others as a means of cementing relationship and projecting issues of common interest concerning the Igbo nation.

Based on the fundamental issue of inadequate source of funding for the apex body of all Igbo socio- cultural organizations, will the present agitators for change in the leadership of OhanaezeNdigbo be able to get enough finance to prosecute the agenda. Definitely, the present set of Igbo governors of the South East zone, must decide or make input on where the pendulum of Ohanaeze swings in the resolution of the crisis.