• Court restrains chieftains from interference
• OYC re-elects Okwu as national president
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has asked the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, to stay off the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Presidential election, stressing that electing him at the leadership of the organisation would disrupt its zoning arrangement.
IPOB stated that the next President of the organisation is expected to emerge from Rivers State, alleging that Okiro is from Imo State and contested the last election of the Igbo organisation against the late Prof. George Obiozor when it was the turn of Imo State.
In a statement made available to The Guardian in Enugu yesterday and signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB further alleged that those behind Okiro’s ambition are doing so to tarnish his integrity and further decimate Ohanaeze.
IPOB stated: “The attention of the noble family of IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu, has been drawn to the purported endorsement of Mr Mike Okiro by a faceless group supposedly called “Ogbako Egbema” for him to contest the next President General of Ohanaeze.
“It is obvious that some influential individuals in the Imo State government are behind this move to rubbish Okiro’s integrity and decimate Ohanaeze in the way they have sought to destroy the state. This faceless group is speaking for the enemies of Ndigbo, whose interest is to disorganise Igbo land. These people cannot truncate the legitimate turn of Rivers State to produce the next Ohanaeze President General.”
MEANWHILE, an Enugu High Court yesterday restrained some chieftains of Ohanaeze from interfering with or disrupting the January 10 national election of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.
The court had issued an interlocutory injunction restraining Chidi Ibe, the self-acclaimed factional chairman, his Secretary, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Richard Ozobu, said to be the Chairman of the electoral committee, from interfering in the electoral committee inaugurated by the President-General, Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu.
But the Ibeh group had, on Monday, announced Jackson Omenazu as its new President General and Isiguzoro as Deputy President General and many others. A former governor of Imo State and Chieftain of Ohanaeze, Ikedi Ohakim, had gone to court to challenge certain actions that could derail the conduct of the January 10 election.
SIMILARLY, the youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide (OYC), on Monday, re-elected Okwu Nnabuike as its National President. Okwu was re-elected in Enugu, alongside other members of the group’s National Executive Council (NEC).
The newly elected NEC members include Deputy National President, Chuks Ikekpeazu; National Vice President, Abia, Nwamkpa Chinonso; National Vice President, Ebonyi, Nwaite Casmir; National Vice President, Anambra, Uzoigwe Josephat; National Vice President, Delta, Alvin Dubem, and National Vice President, Rivers, Bobby Ezimonye.
Others are National Secretary, Obinna Achionye, Assistant National Secretary, Chizoba Kenechukwu, National Publicity Secretary, Ebubechukwu S N, Financial Secretary, Chioma Izunna, and National Treasurer, Enyinna Joseph.
State youth leaders were also elected, among whom are Ogbonnaya Obasi (Abia State), Kingsley Azubuike (Anambra State), Ndubuisi Ezema (Enugu State), Sunday Everistus Nweze (Ebonyi State), Udochukwu Aligwoekwe (Imo State), Nwogueze Chinweuba (Delta State) and Ugwueze Uzoh (Abuja).
In his acceptance speech, Okwu said Ohanaeze youths are committed to the economic and political emancipation of the Igbo nation.
