From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has disowned members who recently visited Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, saying they were on a private business to Port Harcourt.
This is as it raised the alarm that some people have turned the name of the organisation to merchandise, making money from interest groups and politicians.
Its Secretary General, Okey Emuchay, who addressed newsmen in Enugu, yesterday, denied the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo undertook any trip to Port Harcourt to meet the Rivers State governor.
Ohanaeze said it had made fruitless attempts to meet with Wike for over two years, including while its President General, Prof. George Obiozor was alive.
Ohanaeze said the last effort was via a letter dated January 18, 2023, in which the governor was notified of the funeral programme of the deputy president general of the body, Chief Joel Khroham, who was buried in Ahoda West Local Government of Rivers State on February 4.
Emuchay said Wike like most governors of states comprising Ohanaeze neither attended nor sent delegation to the burial of the late president general, Obiozor, on February 10, in Imo State, even when they were duly informed of the funeral programme.
He said: “I sent letters to all the seven governors that constitute Ohanaeze. Only the Governor and government of Ebonyi State sent a delegation for the burial of our late PG. The Governor of Imo State who had reconstructed the residence of the PG in Awomamma and furnished it also bore the burden for the burial of the leader of Igbo nation. I don’t want to go further but the truth of the matter is that Ohanaeze will survive, Ohanaeze is in safe hands and we shall survive this period because this is the first time in the history of Ohanaeze that the Deputy President General and the President General will pass on at the same time.”
Emuchay declared that there was no faction in Ohanaeze, noting that an Enugu High Court recently restrained Okechukwu Isiguzoro and his cohorts from representing the body.
He explained: “Okechukwu Isiguzoro was never elected as Secretary General of Ohanaeze. He goes about issuing statements that are injurious to the Igbo nation and to our people, that are littered all over Nigeria. Okechukwu Isiguzoro should cease doing what he is doing and also, we call on his sponsors to understand that Ohanaeze will survive. Ohanaeze is above all of us. Ohanaeze is an umbrella organisation for all Igbo, both at home and in diaspora. So, those who are prodding him, those who are sponsoring him should please think about our people.
“Also, that people who are using the name of Ohanaeze, it has been turned into a kind of cottage industry, moving around, going from one place to the other, promising people that they would do this on behalf of the Igbo nation, to me, this is not acceptable and we call on these people to please cease using the name of Ohanaeze to extort money from members of the public.”