A Chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Prince Richard Ozobu, has warned that the factionalisation in the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, will continue to manifest unless there is strict respect for the group’s constitution.
Ozobu, who was recently appointed by a faction of Ohanaeze to head its national election committee for the January 10 election, alleged a plot by a few individuals to continue to thwart the constitution to feather their nests.
Speaking with reporters in Enugu on why the crisis in the organisation was yet to be resolved, Ozobu noted that there are two existing factions within Ohanaeze: his own faction headed by Chief Chidi Ibe, and the other headed by Prof. George Obiozor, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and now Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu.
He said: “Chidi Ibe’s leadership with Okechukwu Isiguzoro as secretary general, emerged in accordance with the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo as against the one that produced Prof George Obiozor and others.
“In order to resolve this, the governors of Southeast sometime in 2021 requested the two factions to subject themselves to the Council of South-East Bishops to look into the matter.
“Our own faction appeared but Obiozor’s faction refused to appear before that meeting. Obiozor’s group appeared not to be interested in the peaceful resolution of the matter. At the end of the whole exercise, the Council of Bishops wrote a report, mandating the two factions to come together for harmonization. They refused.
“They went to court to ask that they be declared the authentic Ohanaeze leadership. We also sought for a declaratory judgement using the constitution of Ohanaeze as a proof. We’re still court with them.
“This whole crisis started when the former president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, singlehandedly suspended the then secretary general of Ohanaeze, Hon. Uche Okwukwu from office without due process. He did that without replacement as against the Ohanaeze constitution which states that anyone expelled shall be replaced.
“According to the constitution of Ohanaeze, the executive has no power to suspend anybody elected into that executive. It’s only the general assembly of Ohanaeze that can suspend or remove any elected official. The general assembly is made up of about 500 members drawn from the various member states.”
Ozobu further noted that the faction that produced the late Obiozor, Iwuanyanwu and now Ozichukwu Chukwu as president-general, had continued to operate in contravention of the constitution of Ohanaeze.
“They also called for an election in Owerri, Imo State, in total disregard to the Constitution of Ohanaeze,” he said.
“When Obiozor died, they had the opportunity to do things right. The constitution says any replacement shall be by election and not by appointment.
“But they went ahead to appoint Iwuanyanwu in contravention of the constitution.
“Before Obiozor’s death in November 2023, the deputy president general of Ohanaeze from Rivers State had died in July same year. But they quickly appointed Iwuanyanwu as Obiozor’s replacement but refusing to take a replacement for the Deputy President General.
“If Ohanaeze has to be taken seriously and remain alive, constitutional provisions must be followed in whatever they do there.
“Ohanaeze founding fathers are not happy wherever they are because of the way their children have abandoned the constitution they made to guide the organization.”
