Ohanaeze Ndigbo Won’t Participate in Tinubu’s Inauguration

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has debunked claims that the group will participate in the President Elect, Bola Tinubu’s inauguration ceremony come 29th of May, 2023.

The group’s National Publicity Secretary, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, made this known in a statement made available to Irohinoodua on Tuesday.

“The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to the news making the rounds indicating that Ohanaeze will participate fully in the inauguration of the President-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement noted.

He said the press release attributed to one Mr Okechukwu Isiguzoro claimed that “the Ime-Obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo has mandated that every agitation for the 2023 election should come to an end”.

He said Isiguzoro among other remarks, stated that “Peter Obi is the candidate of the future and that nobody should pick up a fight they can’t finish, against Bola Tinubu”.

The Ohanaeze chieftain said “On April 3, 2023, Mr Okechukwu Isiguzoro, using the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo was quoted as saying that “Ohanaeze Pledges Allegiance to Tinubu’s Crowning, Shuns Interim Government Scheme”.

“Also, on April 29, 2023, the same Isiguzoro was widely quoted: “Ohanaeze has declared that interim government is satanic and unconstitutional; and that the apex Igbo group pledged to support Tinubu’s swearing-in come May 29, 2023. He added that “no force on earth will stop the swearing-in”.

He said a few weeks ago, the same Isiguzoro claimed that Ohanaeze Ndigbo has endorsed Engr. David Umahi’s ambition to become the Senate President of 10th Nigerian National Assembly.

“In August 2022, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo woke up to a bizarre and reckless publication circulating in the media indicating that “Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls on the National Assembly to include the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, in the impeachment threat on President Muhammadu Buhari”.

“There are several other embarrassing publications aimed at tarnishing the image of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide in particular and the Igbo ethnic in general.

“The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide was inclined to ignore the current press release by Isiguzoro because we have severally informed the mass media that the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is Ambassador Okey Emuchay, and that the said Okechukwu Isiguzoro is a meddlesome interloper who uses the hallowed name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for narrow interests. We have at various times informed the unsuspecting public to ignore the mischief makers as impostors, charlatans and media navigators who leech on the invaluable footprints of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to issue press releases for narrow, perverse and illicit pecuniary interests. However, since silence may be misconstrued as giving validity to such a whimsical figment of a transactional imagination, this rebuttal becomes very imperative.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Chief Dr. Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, CFR (Ahaejiagamba) did not issue any statement with respect to the “inauguration of President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

“It needs to be emphasized that Ohanaeze Ndigbo does not wax eloquent on partisan politics, except when it becomes exceedingly necessary; and does not in any way begrudge or antagonise any Igbo for choice of political party, personal or group political ambition but to implicate Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide in personal pecuniary interest is not only unethical, despicable and unscrupulous but in all ramifications, connotes a criminal intent.

“We have severally appealed to the social deviants that the Igbo, all over the world owe a profound emotional attachment to their apex socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and as such our sacred identity should not be desecrated on the whims, caprices and immediacies of the uninitiated.

“Since the Ohanaeze election which was held on January 10, 2021, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has consistently reminded the general public that the Secretary General of the body is Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR and that publications emanating from any impersonator should be ignored or discountenaced. We have deployed several means available including reaching out to the traditional ruler of Isiguzoro community for him to desist from the damages he causes to the image of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to no avail.

“On Friday, March 10, 2023, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide obtained a court order restraining Mr. Chidi Ibe, Prince Richard Ozobu, Okechukwu Isiguzoro and others from parading themselves as representatives of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Justice Uchenna Mogbo of the High Court of Enugu State, further declared that the “purported parallel election of the officers of the National Executive Council (NEC) of Ohanaeze conducted in Enugu State at the instance of the defendants is illegal and un-constitutional”. Since the March 10 court injunction, the Isiguzoros have been in hiding and Ohanaeze pleads information for their whereabouts.

“It is worth repeating that various eminent Igbo dignitaries have appealed to such mischief makers to appreciate that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide represents the history, emotions, collectivity, spirituality, unity and strength of the Igbo nation. And that the Igbo have a unique socio-political orientation and disposition; they are republican, egalitarian, deliberative, liberal and democratic. On the other hand, that no person has a right to wake up and issue a far-reaching statement on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo without consultations or a form of consensus.

“Those behind such acts are highly ignorant of the damages they cause to themselves and the Igbo nation on a daily basis. They are reminded that every misconduct against the Igbo pantheon or the Imeobi Ohanaeze has its corresponding inevitable consequences.

“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Ahaejiagamba regrets the embarrassments that are often caused to the general public by the maladjusted attention seekers that deploy the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in most detestable and deplorable proportions.”