Controversy over leadership of Ohanaeze as Rivers seeks to serve out tenure
16 December 2024 |
12:48 am
A further controversy may have sparked off, at the weekend, over the leadership of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation with the emergence of Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu as President General to complete the tenure of Imo State.
A further controversy may have sparked off, at the weekend, over the leadership of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation with the emergence of Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu as President General to complete the tenure of Imo State.
This is as Rivers State, whose Deputy president-general died in office in September last year, has demanded to be allowed to complete the tenure, irrespective of the position of the President General coming to the state in January next year.
As a way out of the leadership logjam, following the death of Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who was drafted to complete the tenure of Imo State, which became vacant by the death of Prof. George Obiozor last year, governors of the South-East region met last Friday, December 13 and directed Imo State to nominate someone capable of overseeing the leadership of the body until January 10, 2025, when a substantive President General would be elected.
A communiqué from the meeting signed by its Director General, Mrs Uche Ekwunife, also stated that the governors endorsed the next President General to come from Rivers State as provided in the Constitution of Ohanaeze.
It was on the strength of the governors’ directives that a joint Imeobi and General Assembly meeting was held at the weekend where Ozichukwu was nominated to lead the organisation until January.
But Rivers State, in a reaction to the development, alleged that it is being treated like a ‘slave,’ insisting that for justice and fairness, the state should be allowed to serve out the tenure of Joel Kroham, the late Deputy President General.
Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Elders Forum in Rivers State, Jackson Omenazu, yesterday, stated: “Since Imo State has insisted they must complete its tenure, we are insisting that Rivers State should complete its tenure not just this, but one year plus and that whoever emerges President General from Rivers should still have Deputy President General from the state to complete his tenure since everyone should complete his tenure within the very last minute in this administration.
“What is good for the geese is also good for the gander. We are all Igbo. We are not orphans. We are Igbo from Rivers State. So, the way others are treated should be the way we should be treated. There are no two ways about it. I raised a red flag during the meeting and they tried to shut me down. Justice has no twin brother. Justice is justice and they don’t look alike.”
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