From Tony Udemba
The leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State Chapter has dismissed as false and misleading reports alleging the suspension of its elected executive officers, insisting that there is no vacancy in the office of the President and that Chief Leonard Okafor remains the duly elected leader of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation in Lagos State.
The rebuttal follows a publication allegedly circulated by Mr Everest Ozonweke, who claimed to be acting on the directive of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, announcing the suspension of the Lagos leadership.
Reacting to the development, an aide to the President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State Chapter, Mrs Ukamaka Aniagor, described the publication as “fake, baseless and misleading”, urging members of the organisation, Ndigbo resident in Lagos and the general public to disregard the report.
According to Aniagor, the publication does not represent the position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and lacks all the recognised features of an authentic official communication.
“The write-up being circulated by Mr. Everest Ozonweke is nothing short of an insult to the collective intelligence of Ndigbo in Lagos State. It is inconsequential and holds no water. It is unfortunate that someone would sit in the comfort of his room, type unverified assertions on a phone and expect the entire Igbo community in Lagos to accept them as official directives from Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide,” she stated.
She maintained that members of the organisation were prepared to expose what she described as deliberate misinformation and challenged Ozonweke to substantiate his claims.
“If indeed there is an official letter from the National Secretariat directing that no election should have held in Lagos, we challenge him to immediately produce that letter for public scrutiny,” she said.
Aniagor further questioned the authenticity of the purported directive, asking: “Where is the official letterhead? Where is the reference number? Where is the signature and official stamp of the President-General? If such a document truly exists, let the public see a scanned copy immediately. Otherwise, he should stop spreading fake news.”
Ozonweke had reportedly claimed in a newspaper publication that, as the South-West Coordinator of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, he had been mandated to announce the suspension of all principal officers of the Lagos chapter.
The claim, however, has reportedly generated widespread criticism among members of the organisation, many of whom questioned the authority of an unelected official to suspend executives elected through a democratic process.
Aniagor also demanded that Ozonweke produce his letter of appointment as South-West Coordinator, allegedly issued by the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief John Azuta-Mbata.
She reiterated that the office of the President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State Chapter remains occupied by Chief Leonard Okafor and cannot be declared vacant through unofficial statements or social media posts.
“There is no vacancy in the office of the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State. No amount of backroom scheming, propaganda or unverified text messages can overturn the mandate freely given by the General Assembly.
“Until an officially signed, stamped and duly referenced letter from the President-General, Chief John Azuta-Mbata, together with your own letter of appointment, is produced, every document or message emanating from you remains null, void and of no consequence,” she declared.
While calling on members to remain peaceful, Aniagor urged supporters of Chief Okafor to remain calm, law-abiding and to avoid any action capable of disrupting public peace or undermining constituted authority.
“No matter how long the night may be, daylight will surely come. We therefore urge all members to remain united and committed to the ideals of peace, unity and lawful conduct,” she added.
Background
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State Chapter had, until recently, endured nearly five years of internal leadership disputes that divided the organisation into rival factions led by Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene and Chief Sunday Ossai.
The prolonged crisis eventually ended following a peace accord, in which both camps agreed to set aside their differences in the interest of unity and the progress of the organisation. The reconciliation paved the way for a fresh, all-inclusive election to produce a unified executive council, which was won by Chief Leonard Okafor.
Since assuming office, the Okafor-led administration has maintained that it is committed to consolidating the peace achieved within the organisation and promoting unity among Ndigbo resident in Lagos State.
(The Sun)