The concerned youths of the Ikwerre ethnic nationality in Rivers State have threatened to stage a protest on January 17, 2025, against alleged attempts to annex the Ikwerres as Igbo people.

The group specifically stated that the newly elected President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Azuta Mbata, should not drag the Ikwerre people into his personal ambition, declaring that he (Mbata) does not have the support of the Ikwerre people for his elevated position.

According to the leader of Concerned Ikwerre Youths, John Ihua, the protest aims to inform the world that the Ikwerre people have no hand in Senator Mbata’s emergence, saying he (Mbata) is acting independently.

He added that the youths of Ikwerre are unhappy with the exacerbated controversies that Mbata’s emergence has caused in Ikwerre land.

He said, “The Ikwerre people are not Igbo people; the foundation has been laid from the beginning, and it’s explicit. Whatever Mbata is doing is not our business. He should not drag Ikwerre people into his personal interest.”

“On January 17, we are mobilizing massively for a peaceful protest to tell the world that Ikwerre people are not Igbos. We are not part of them. The controversies are becoming too much. Every time, there are issues in our land because of some people’s selfish interests.”

Ihua insisted that the decision by Senator Mbata to contest the position of President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide is not in the collective interest of the Ikwerre people and, therefore, does not have their backing.