Iwuanyanwu affirms Lady Ibeto as authentic Ohaneze Ndigbo President in UK

President-general of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has affirmed Lady Aqueen Ibeto as authentic President of the British chapter of the association.

Iwuanyanwu in a virtual press briefing appealed to aggrieved factions to work with Lady Ibeto who is the President of the British Chapter of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation in the best interest of the group.

“We have a President of the Association who is established and who is doing very well and you say she is a woman and we should destroy the structure and put up a man.

“I think it is not fair under any condition, that is why I am worried. It surprises me that some groups of people who were there about six years ago when she was elected as Deputy President, the position she held for four years and everybody knows that whoever is deputy President is a potential President if the President dies, the person will succeed him, but this did not happen.

“These people allowed it and they just come and say the structure should be dismantled, I don’t think it is in the interest of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for the structure to be dismantled and it will be a wrong thing if we listen to that advice, a structure that is serving the interest of Ndigbo.

“I am appealing to them because it is only two years’ time, there will be another election going by the provision of the constitution. By then, we will now look into the issue about women and the office they can hold,” he appealed.

Iwuanyanwu noted that the election that produced Lady Ibeto was conducted according to the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, adding that nobody complained that the election was rigged.

His words: “I think like my predecessor, the election that produced Lady Ibeto was properly conducted and she won it.

“I have heard from all sides, I spent hours with the two factions in my home here in Britain and I asked questions. Even the person who is the president of the other group, I asked him whether he contested the election, and he did not contest the election.”