Politics
Ohanaeze: Intrigues as politicians hijack President General election
The election of a president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has always been rigorous, unpredictable and tensed. It however assumed a more disturbing dimension when it was the turn of Imo State to produce the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Imo State is remarkably unique in all ramifications. Everything about Imo absolutely takes either a queer and dangerous dimension, or it is essentially celebrated with excellence and high regards.
Created in 1976 alongside other eight states, Imo quickly established itself as a home for heroics, heroes and heroines. She confirmed this champion status in the 1977 National Sports Festival appropriately tagged Kaduna ’77. In the soccer event of that fiesta, Imo thrashed all the other established states to fly home with the gold medal.
She defeated Rivers 1 – 0, whipped Benue 4 – 0 and beat Lagos and Plateau 1- 0 each. It is worthy to note that all the four states Imo triumphed over were created in 1967 while she was just a year old in 1977.
Civil rule was restored in 1979 and, against all political calculations, distinguished lawyer but not popular Chief Samuel Mbakwe, was elected governor ahead of all the other established political heavyweights. Within months, Mbakwe earned the ubiquitous sobriquet of a weeping governor, for good or for bad!
After just four years, the military returned to power and Imo was in the news for all the bad reasons. The notorious incident of Otokoto and its criminal activities which left the state desolate and almost brought the once enterprising ingenious enclave to her knees. Otokoto made Imo the most despicable as well as despised state in the federation.
It was in Imo that the appellation, supplementary election, was first used and introduced in 2015. It was in Imo that a candidate who finished fourth was controversially declared winner by the supreme court. The electorate was bewildered and they absurdity marked the commencement of insecurity in the state.
Even in religion, the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara, Mbaise, stood- down the papacy’s wrongly imposed bishop, and demanded justice, for the right thing to be done. The Pope listened and the Catholic Church in Mbaise, had its way.
Therefore, informed sociopolitical and economic- cultural commentators raised an unnoticed alarm when Imo was to bring forward or fill the vacancy created by the expiration of Chief Nnia Nwodo’s exit as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo president general.
In that election, held at the Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri, about five aspirants indicated interest. At the end of the day, three or so participated in the election. Eventually, a renowned diplomat Prof George Obiozor emerged. He had barely settled down when IPOB accused him of promoting Governor Hope Uzodimma’s anti Igbo tendencies thereby aiding in the massive killings going on in the state at the time.
Obiozor denied the allegations and maintained that his dream is to make Imo and all other Igbo areas secure and prosperous. IPOB was not convinced. It burnt Obiozor’s country home and burnt all his properties, including a world class library, to ruination. It was too heavy for the old man to bear. He died afterwards, making him the first Ohanaeze Ndigbo president general of modern era to die in office.
Following his death, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu took over and also died in active service. He was replaced by Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, making it three presidents general from Imo State in one tenure!
As it was time to elect a new Igbo leader, erstwhile Rivers East senator, John Azuta-Mbata, was elected the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Mbata was elected at the general assembly of Ohanaeze Ndigbo held at the Old Government Lodge, in Enugu, on Friday.
He was elected according to the el electoral guidelines of the body alongside 15 other executive members who are to occupy various positions in association. Azuta-Mbata represented the Rivers East constituency in the Senate between 1999 and 2007.
It would be recalled that a former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, withdrew from the race after a court order had demanded to know the state of origin of Okiro. Okiro is alleged to be from Imo State, and not from River State, which the slot was zoned to, albeit he has Rivers as his state of origin in his file. The fact of the matter is, Okiro hails from the Egbema clan that has some of its communities both in Rivers and Imo states.
Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu served out the 27 days remaining for Imo State and oversaw the election of Mbata.
Ndigbo believe that Ohanaeze Ndigbo has not been as effective as it ought to be particularly in the last nine years when the APC led administrations of President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu have been marginalizing the South East. “I wonder why people still talk about Ohanaeze Ndigbo. It only exits in name. It doesn’t fight for Ndigbo. If not, why is the body not talking in about nine years now as APC has always marginalized us”, Nwachukwu Ben, noted.
Others feel that Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been doing its best but because of the hatred of the South East by other ethnic nationalities, the present and past administrations usually turn deaf ears to such moves by the Igbo leaders.