May 29 inauguration: Ohaneze disowns Isiguzoro’s statement on Tinubu
The Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide has dissociated itself from a statement credited to Okechukwu Isiguzoro saying that the Apex Igbo sociocultural Organization would “participate fully” in the May 29 inauguration of President elect, Bola Tinubu.
In a press release signed by Dr Alex Ogbonnia, Publicity Secretary of Ohaneze worldwide, the group said the view expressed by Isiguzoro was personal as it does not represent Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide ably represented by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
He said: “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 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”.
“Isiguzoro among other unwholesome 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.”
Ogbonna recalled a similar statement credited to Isiguzoro on April 3, 2023, using the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo 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”.
“Furthermore, 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”.
“There are several other embarrassing publications aimed at tarnishing the image of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide in particular and the Igbo ethnic in general by the same Isiguzoro, ” he said.
He said the group would have ignored 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, MFR and that the said Okechukwu Isiguzoro was a meddlesome interloper who uses the hallowed name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for narrow interests.
According to him: “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, ” Ohaneze said.
He 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.”
Ogbonnia said since the Ohanaeze election on January 10, 2021, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo had 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.
He said: “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, ” he said.
The publicity secretary accused those behind such acts as being highly ignorant of the damages “they cause to themselves and the Igbo nation on a daily basis.
He reminded them that every misconduct against the Igbo pantheon or the Imeobi Ohanaeze had its corresponding inevitable consequences.
The apex Igbo sociocultural Organization further said it regretted the embarrassments often caused to the general public by the “maladjusted attention seekers that deploy the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in most detestable and deplorable proportions.”
