The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo has denied allegation it is making monetary demands to support the campaign for an Igbo president in 2023.
WHAT WE KNOW
Ohaneze Ndigbo has denied an allegation of demanding money to support the campaign for Nigerian President of Igbo extraction, ever since the agitation began.
The Igbo socio-cultural organisation described the accusation as “most fallacious, mendacious and callous of all the falsehoods aimed at tarnishing the image of the Igbo, and morally reprehensible fabrication from the pit of hell.”
The Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze said that of its own volition, it has been on advocacy visits to many political and traditional leaders across the country, canvassing support for a President from the South East of Nigeria.
Among the leaders visited, according to the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, included former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III; E. K. Clark, Ayo Adebanjo, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the British High Commission, and so many others.
Ohanaeze said this while distancing itself from a trending social media clip alleging that Ohanaeze Ndigbo demanded payments from one Comrade Kennedy Iyere as a condition to support the campaign for a Nigerian President from the South East. Ohanaeze said such never happened.
Speaking to the allegation on social media credited to one Comrade Kennedy Iyere, claiming that Ohanaeze demanded money to support Igbo Presidency campaign, Ogbonnia explained, that in October 2020, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene, former President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Anambra State chapter was contacted by Iyere to invite the seven state presidents from the seven Ohanaeze states. Ogene explained to Iyere that members would be coming to Awka from distant places such as Port Harcourt, Owerri, Aba, and Ebonyi and that it would not be possible for them to go back to their locations on the same day. Iyere promised to secure a hotel accommodation for the seven persons, and that he would also pay for their transport costs. According to the Ohaneze, the meeting, Iyere offered N70,000 to the seven Ohaneze Presidents (from Seven states chapters of Ohaneze), which amounted to N10,000 per person as transport fare. While some rejected the money, others accepted so as not to create a misrepresentation of the rejection.
NOTABLE QUOTES
The Ohaneze Ndigbo spokesman, Dr. Alex Chidozie Ogbonnia stated:
“Our attention has been drawn to a social media clip making the rounds indicating that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide demanded payments from one Comrade Kennedy Iyere as a condition to support a Nigerian President from the South East. This is the most fallacious, mendacious, and callous of all the falsehoods aimed at tarnishing the image of the Igbo as the Judas category that values money more than human conscience.
“On the advocacy for a president from the South East of Nigeria, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo took the message to all parts of Nigeria; including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III; Chief E K Clark, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the British High Commission and so many other places.
“The delegations comprised the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor; the former Presidents General, Chief Nnia Nwodo and Chief Gary Igariweh; the Secretary-General, Ambassador Okey Emuchay; National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia.
“Others include Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, Professor Anya O. Anya, Chief Simon Okeke, and Professor Charles Nwekeaku, among others.
“Several other Igbo activists and interest groups such as Nzuko Umunna led by Senator Chris Anyanwu, Arc. Ferdinand Agu, among others, were also at the forefront of the advocacy.
“On December 13, 2021, I addressed an Open Letter to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, reminding him that it is the right of the South East to produce a President for Nigeria and urged him not to contest the 2023 presidency on the grounds of equity, justice, and fairness. I also wrote Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, reminding him that the current Igbo travails are a result of our support for his candidacy in 2019.
“A simple search on the internet will reveal that Ohanaeze had made numerous press releases urging Nigerians and the international community to lend support to the quest by the South East for Presidency. Ohanaeze Ndigbo further propagated the advocacy to the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders, SMBLF, led by Chief E K Clark, and Chief Nnia Nwodo as the Coordinator-General.
“Our gratitude goes to the SMBLF for their irrevocable position to support an Igbo of the South East for Presidency in 2023. Similarly, we thank Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for receiving us in his Abeokuta residence about three times. Above all, the Ohanaeze message has found expression, resonance, and traction in the irrepressible power that is inherent in the Nigerian masses”.
On the allegation by Kennedy Iyere, Dr. Alex Chidozie Ogbonnia said:
“The truth of the matter is, in October 2020, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene, former President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Anambra State chapter was contacted by Iyere to invite the seven state presidents from the seven Ohanaeze states. Ogene explained to Iyere that members would be coming to Awka from distant places such as Port Harcourt, Owerri, Aba, and Ebonyi and that it would not be possible for them to go back to their locations on the same day. Iyere promised to secure a hotel accommodation for the seven persons, and that he would also pay for their transport costs.
“At the meeting in one hotel at Awka, Iyere was seated with whitemen and he highlighted the unbearable injustice to the Igbo by the past Nigerian leaders and the equity in a South Easterner to become the President of Nigeria come 2023. Paradoxically, we were very delighted and also curious that non-Igbo and white men were championing an Igbo cause.
“At the end of the meeting, he pleaded with us to manage seventy thousand naira (N70, 000.00); that is, ten thousand Naira each, as transport costs. Some of us refused the money while others reasoned that it could be misinterpreted if we rejected the ten thousand Naira each.
“I am rather shocked by the depravity and a kindergarten shenanigan with which Iyere painted his encounter with the Ohanaeze Ndigbo; that Ohanaeze Ndigbo demanded payment from him to support an Igbo for Presidency. This is the most morally reprehensible fabrication from the pit of hell.
“Surely, we failed to attend his subsequent meetings for two reasons: through a Freudian slip, a stench character deficit became manifest in his maneuvers at Awka; second, he espoused hate, invectives, and unwholesome remarks against our then President General, Chief Nnia Nwodo, simply because, according to him, Nwodo did not pick his phone call.
“In the clip that has gone viral, several eminent Igbo sons were mentioned in a bad light. For me, Comrade Kennedy Iyere is a pernicious sharp knife within; a conflict entrepreneur, social wasteland, political juggler, stumbling amateur, windbag, mischief maker, name-dropper, and a mundane predator, best to be avoided.
“Unfortunately, hard as he may try, most of the names that Iyere dropped in the social media are the cream Igbo titans, political avatars, tested moral edifice, pure, decent, and very much above reproach and his cheap and unreflective tarnish; the pillars of the current national movement”.
CATCH UP
Recall that there has been a growing call for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction.
Unfortunately the major political parties the Igbos looked to for this to happen in 2023, didn’t zone their ticket to the South East.
Greatest betrayal according to some watchers of event was the PDP, which the Igbos and South East have stood with since 1999.
Moreover, the PDP until 2022 have zoned key positions and ticket in the party. For 2022, the PDP zoned it party positions but failed to do same for the presidential ticket, a clear case of betrayal.
COMMENTARY
As one ponders what Comrade Kennedy Iyere stands to gain by calling out Ohaneze Ndigbo, it’s also pertinent to call on the Ohaneze and other such socio-cultural organisations to be cautious with whom they deal with.
Or more importantly to be careful how they deal with organisation. The question coming to mind, is before they agreed to attend the meeting with Iyere, was there a background check of him and his organization?
Do we need to explain that there are persons and organisations whose business is to collect money from foreign NGOs and CSO, in the name of fighting for a cause.
The terrible thing is not who sponsors them but that such people would naturally cause controversy as that’s the best way they remain in the public space and attract more funds.
Without trying to make a case for Ohaneze Ndigbo, even if some persons in the name of Ohaneze have demanded for money from Kennedy Iyere or any other organisation, there is still question to be asked.
The point is this – there is no point making it look like that it is a collective thing or the way of all Igbos. Amonst every twelve there is certainly a Judas.
The stereotyping of Igbos is a tribal prank and one of the favorite games played by Nigerian politician for political correctness and personal advantage. Enough of this one sided story of Igbos not been united.
That said, the point must still be cleared made that the Igbos will always have the like of Orji Uzor Kalu who can sell his birth right not for as much as a pot of porridge but even for a candy.
However, such is not peculiar to the Igbos. Moreoso, the Igbos are not unaware of such antics. Nonetheless, the Igbos also have many sons worth their name and would not be distracted from fighting what is believed to be just.
