As the countdown to the 2021 general elections of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide begins, five contestants to the office of the President General are making last-minute campaign to emerge as the next leader of the highest Igbo organization in Nigeria and the Diaspora.
In January, delegates across the seven Igbo speaking states of Nigeria, viz: Abia, Anambra, Anioma in Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Ikwerre in Rivers will democratically elect new leaders for the apex-Igbo Organization.
All the five contestants are from Imo State, whose turn it is to produce the next Ohaneze President By the alphabetical rotational arrangement for offices in Ohanaeze Ndigbo, after the outgoing president, Chief Nnia Nwodo, from Enugu State, who assumed office as the 9th President-General of the pan-Igbo sociocultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo on January 10, 2017 and whose tenure is to expire on January 10, 2021. The position of Secretary-General is zoned to Abia State.
As at press time, the contestants for the Ohaneze President-General include the former Secretary General of Ohaneze, Dr Joe Nworgu; former Imo State Chairman of Ohaneze, Dr. Chidi Osuagwu; former Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Prof. George Obiozor; Chief Chris Asoluka and Chief Goddy Uwazurike.
For the position of Secretary-General, three persons are in the race including Chuks Ibegbu, the incumbent Ohaneze Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Kalu Onuma of Ohaneze Lagos branch, and one other person from Umuahia.
The general elections scheduled for January 11 this year, save any last minute changes, has generated a lot of interest among Igbos of all dispositions and walks of life, including the various Igbo cultural organizations across Nigeria and the Diaspora.
As part of the events leading to the election, the five Ohaneze presidential candidates were expected to present their manifestos at a town hall meeting/interactive session of Igbos at home and the Diaspora in a worldwide virtual meeting organised by a coalition of Igbo Organisations via Zoom.
In a statement by the representatives of the Coalition, Mr Austin Okeke and Mr Gideon Adikwuru, they explained that the use of the virtual platform to hold such an all-important Session for Igbo across the world was necessitated by the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, adding “Zoom provides us an alternative to reach out to Igbos across the globe. With the online meeting, Ndigbo in the diaspora and in Nigeria will be able to connect to hear directly from these aspirants.
“The Igbo Nation has its principles built on democratic Republicanism; therefore, making it one of the oldest democracies in the world. The virtual meeting traverses the borders of Nigeria such that Igbos in China, UK, America, Ghana, South Africa or even Alaba Market can watch in real time.”
Ahead of the elections, the “Ime-Obi” (inner caucus), the highest decision-making organ of Ohaneze had earlier endorsed a 40-member national elections committee headed by Senator Ben Obi at its meeting which was attended by prominent caucus members including the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu and his Ministry of Environment counterpart, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor.
Others were former governor Chimaoke Nnamani, former Senate Presidents Ken Nnamani and Adolphu Wabara, Anthony Anele, Osita Ogbu, Ralph Obioha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe among others.
Already, Imo State leaders, in a rather controversial decision, have picked former Nigeria Ambassador to the United States, Prof. George Obiozor as their consensus candidate for the next president general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Prof. George Obiozor hails from Ngor Okpalla Council Area of Imo State. Last month, the leaders presented Prof Obiozor to the State Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Exco Chamber Government House, Owerri, as the “likely successor of the outgoing President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo”.
Making the presentation, the Chairman of the Delegation Committee, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, said that many candidates indicated their interest to contest for the position, adding that the committee of 200 eminent Imo leaders picked Prof Obiozor because of his vast experience and acceptability.
“Over 200 Imo leaders met to evaluate the candidates. We did a very thorough job and found out that Obiozor is the one that can do the job”, Iwuanyanwu told the governor.
Imo State Chairman of CAN, Rev. Eches Eches while confirming the candidate said that the churches were involved in the process adding that there was forthrightness in the process of selecting Prof. Obiozor.
“We asked them to submit their CVS and qualities and saw intimidating quality fixations but after scrutiny we found out that Prof. Obiozor was eminently qualified.
All of them were almost qualified but we were looking for the best we were able to spot Prof. Obiozor whose CV was intimidating. We chose him and everybody accepted our choice”.
In his acceptance speech, Prof. Obiozor thanked Imo people and all stakeholders. He said the decision to contest was a decision not based on self-aggrandizement, adding that his most concern was service to the people.
In his response, Governor Uzodimma said that the decision to present a consensus candidate for the organisation is very laudable and expressed appreciation to Ohaneze Ndigbo, Imo State, elders, traditional rulers, youths and all Imo stakeholders for making him their consensus candidate for the Ohaneze topmost post.
“The decision of the Imo State chapter of Ohanaeze to present the consensus candidate of this organisation is very laudable, I was taken unawares by their actions, I had no choice but to follow their path”, the governor was quoted as saying. He observed that by the constitution, it’s the turn of Imo State to produce the next President General, adding that the choice of professor Obiozor was welcomed “as he is eminently qualified by his wealth of experience and his adoption is coming at a critical time in the history of Ndigbo in Nigeria”.
Notwithstanding, the reported consensus choice of Professor Obiozor by Imo Ohaneze and other stakeholders has not been without dissenting voices from other stakeholders, some of them veiled, including other contenders to the position of Ohaneze President-General. One of the contenders, and former President General of Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, although he was present on the day Professor Obiozor was announced as consensus candidate as the next President-General of Ohaneze, by Imo Ohaneze, was said to have expressed misgiving over the consensus action, saying the action was not in line with the constitution of the Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide.
Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, a lawyer and political analyst, was reported to have said in an interview that although he was “aware of the consensus and I was there the day they announced him, but I can only smile or grin because under Ohaneze constitution, there is nothing like consensus. All that is required is that you must come from Imo State where it has been zoned. If somebody gathers 10 to 15 people and we have decided that this man is our choice, how does that affect Ohanaeze?”, he was said to have asked, adding that “they are just massaging his ego. Nobody has such power. It has not been delegated to anyone.”
When asked why he is vying for the Ohaneze Presidency, Uwazulike asserted that he is eminently qualified for the position, first because it has been zoned to Imo State and he is from Imo State and secondly because he has the requisite education and experience for that position.
In a similar reaction, another contestant and former Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Joe Nworgu, warned against what he referred to as “political meddlesomeness” in the forthcoming Ohaneze election, cautioning that if politicians are given the chance to manipulate the January 2021 Ohaneze elections or succeed in imposing their candidates on the organisation, the Ohaneze would lose its power and potency as a voice for the Igbo nation.
He maintained that article 11 of the Ohaneze constitution clearly stipulated the process of elections as well as the qualifications for contesting the post of president general and secretary-general and noted that Ohanaeze, through the “Imeobi” which is the highest policy-making organ of the organization, cedes positions to the five South-East states of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra and Imo as well as Igbo speaking parts of Rivers and Delta.
Expressing confidence that the Ohaneze election would be free and fair to produce credible candidates that can take the organization to greater heights.
In his reaction to an alleged endorsement of a candidate for the position of President-General of Ohaneze by the Imo state governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, Nworgu said his stand on the next Ohanaeze election and the position of president-general is that nobody can be the sole candidate for that post in a State.
“The Constitution stipulated that at least three persons from a State can contest the positions of president or secretary-general. Imo State Government is at liberty to support any candidate of her choice, but that does not mean that other persons from the State cannot contest,” he said.
He made an observation that if other interested parties are made to forgo their ambition to contest, it would result in denying other States the right to choose a candidate of their choice as Ohaneze President-General.
In what was perceived as a veiled reference to the alleged letter by Myetti Allah endorsing Professor Obiozor as Ohaneze President-General, Nworgu said “there were indications that people outside Igbo tribe are showing open support for someone for the president general position.
“The clear interest of people outside Igbo race on who leads Ohaneze is a very dangerous sign to the future of the body as a voice for our people. If we want other tribes to dictate for so us be it, but that would mean bringing down the rating of Ohaneze from the present height the present leadership by Chief John Nwodo has taken the body to,” he said.
Nworgu had served as deputy secretary-general of Ohaneze between 2000 and 2003 as well as secretary-general between 2013 and 2017.
An aspirant, Asoluka, while decrying the controversy generated by the development, insisted that there were no candidates yet until an election committee and the guidelines have been approved by Ime-Obi.
Reminded that “Imo Stakeholders” have endorsed a candidate, he stated that any group of individuals was free to endorse anyone, stressing that, “it is only their preference, which neither binds the election committee nor determines who is eligible to contest the forthcoming elections.”
He cited article 11 (b) of the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which stipulates that; “The president-general shall be elected by the National General Assembly from the state whose turn it is to fill the office, provided there are at least three candidates.”
Many other Ohaneze stakeholders also faulted the consensus arrangement as contrary to the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and has never happened in the annals of Ohaneze Ndigbo elections, perceiving the consensus arrangement adopted by the Imo elders as serving the purposes of the State government.
Former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha reacted along the same line, insisting that there is no consensus candidate for the President-General position allocated to Imo state. He reportedly expressed disappointment that Prof. George Obiozor with all his exposure could condescend to the level of assuming a consensus candidate, saying that such action was foreign to the Ohanaeze Ndigbo constitution.
The former governor called on Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and others to shelve their plan for a consensus candidate in the interest of Ndigbo and allow Ndigbo to conduct their affairs in an atmosphere free of acrimony.
By ECHO News Team and Agency News
THE ECHO 