The new President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural organization, Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu has said there will be a transparent and credible election for the new Executive Committee from Rivers State on January 10, 2025.
Chukwu made the disclosure in reaction to a publication by Jackson Omenazu who criticized the deliberations at Saturday’s Ohanaeze’s Imeobi General Assembly.
Omenazu said the Imeobi General Assembly did not meet the required provisions of the Ohanaeze Constitution.
In the widely circulated publication, Omenazu said the required quorum for either Imeobi or the General Assembly was not met.
According to him, “In the absence of the President-General and the Deputy President-General, the Vice President, whose state is next in alphabetical order, shall act.
“Consequently, Dr. Kingsley Dozie, as the acting President General from Abia state, should have chaired the irregular meeting.”
Other issues Omenazu raised bothered on his long-harbored interest to replace the late Deputy President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Joel Kroham, who died in 2022.
“Ndigbo in Rivers are deeply worried about these misguided developments. Indeed indications are beginning to emerge that there are hidden agendas that are associated with the consuming quest by the Imo State to do things unconstitutionally,” he added.
Replying Omenazu, Ohanaeze spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia said in a statement on Monday: “The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to an online circulation by one Chief Jackson Omenazu, wherein he criticized the deliberations at the Imeobi/General Assembly of Ohanaeze held on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
“Chief Omenazu is a very well-known social media personality whose dispositions and idiosyncrasies have become public property. Ohanaeze was therefore tempted to ignore the misguided and misleading publication but for the sake of the unsuspecting gullible public, this intervention became very expedient.”
Ogbonnia said the essence of the Imeobi/General Assembly of Ohanaeze was to secure the final authority of the Imeobi to the resolution of the National Executive Committee, NEC, that the next President General of Ohanaeze should come from the Rivers State in line with the constitutional provisions.
The statement added: “To inform the Imeobi that the death of Chief Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo created a leadership vacancy in the Igbo socio-cultural body.
“To consider the request by the people of Imo State and the resolution of Ohanaeze NEC to the effect that Imo State should exhaust the remaining 27 days, as the president general in line with the Ohanaeze procedures. To this end, the Ohanaeze Imo State and the Imo State Council of Elders presented Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu, as a replacement for Chief Iwuanyanwu.
“To authorize the composition of Electoral Committee and the Screening Committee for the purpose of Ohanaeze election on January 10, 2025.
“The above four points received a seal of approval by the Imeobi Ohanaeze. The house was dissolved to a General Assembly whose function it is to legitimize Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“Before the deliberations in the meeting began, the Secretary General, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR whose duty it is, in line with the constitution to convene an Imeobi meeting pleaded for a doctrine of necessity, as was applied on April 30, 2023 for the replacement of Prof George Obiozor with Chief Iwuanyanwu as the president General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. He further pleaded that the Igbo are at a crossroads arising from a sequence of deaths that had struck Ohanaeze in particular and notable Ndigbo in general.
“It is important to note that since the demise of Iwuanyanwu on July 25, 2024, the NEC of Ohanaeze, in their wisdom, allowed the Secretary General, Ambassador Emuchay, to perform all the administrative functions of Ohanaeze until such a time a new leader emerged. There was never a time the NEC adopted Dr. Kingsley Dozie, as the Acting President General and as such, the Omenazu presumptions are impotent.
“We have had occasion to reply Chief Omenazu on the process of replacing the Deputy President General from Rivers State. There is no doubt there was a letter nominating Omenazu as a replacement to Kroham but he was advised that a mere letter signed by multiple names that were unknown to Ohanaeze is not sufficient for such an important exercise. The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Rivers State, Dr. Lucky Ekeji informed the Imeobi/General Assembly that he had advised Omenazu severally “to emulate the Imo State approach for a replacement of their deceased.
“In each occasion the Imo delegation was led by the Chairman, Imo State Council of Elders, HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Imo State. And that it is inconceivable for Ohanaeze to adopt a candidate for a high and sensitive position such as the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo based on ordinary letter”. In fact, true to type, Omenazu attacked Ekeji in the hall.
“For the eminent Igbo across the globe, the meeting of December 14, 2024 was a milestone and a jubilation galore. This is because, a destructive rumour had pervaded both the grounds and the skies that the current NEC of Ohanaeze intends to subvert the Ohanaeze constitution against the turn of Rivers State to produce a President General for Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“Once more, Chief Omenazu is advised that his penchant for attacking Ohanaeze Ndigbo and all the past and current presidents general is simply an invidious path to self-attrition.
“Finally, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu has stated clearly that there will be a transparent and credible election for the new Executive Committee led by a President General from Rivers State on January 10, 2025.”
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