Okwukwu Dismisses Enugu Ohanaeze Ndigbo Election As Illegitimate

The emergence of John Mbata as the new President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Friday in Enugu State has been met with mixed reactions.

While many celebrated the development, a former Secretary-General of the organisation, Uche Okwukwu, dismissed the election, calling it illegitimate.

Naija News recall that Mbata, a former lawmaker from Rivers State, was elected the 13th President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation through a voice vote. He succeeds Fidelis Chukwu, whose tenure ended on the same day.

The election, held at the Old Government Lodge in Enugu, also saw the election of 15 others to various executive positions, including Emeka Sibeudu, a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, who was elected Secretary-General.

In his acceptance speech, Mbata expressed gratitude to the governors of the region for their support.

However, Okwukwu, a contestant for the position in an interview with Punch, criticized the election, claiming it did not follow the established norms of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. He questioned the choice of the Old Government Lodge as the venue, alleging undue interference.

“Today is a great day in the history of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide as Ndigbo massively came out, representing different sets of opinion, academia, and religious institutions as well as different organised bodies, both home and abroad and converged on Enugu to elect an able president-general in the name of John Azuta Mbata.

“There is no doubt that the president-general will do everything within his power to bring peace and unity to Igboland during his tenure. It is not even a question of people declaring for the presidency without having a general assembly,” he said.

Chuckwu also described Mbata as a “loving man of peace” who holds the welfare of the Igbo nation in high regard.

However, expressing dissatisfaction over the election held in Enugu, Okwukwu told Punch that to become the President-General of Ohanaeze, one must first be a member of the organisation and demonstrate a strong history of involvement.

“The election that brought me in as the president-general was conducted in Rivers State, in line with Ohanaeze’s tradition that election is held where the state producing the president-general hails from,” Okwukwu explained.

He noted that in 2017, Enugu State hosted the election when it produced the president-general, while in 2021, Imo State did the same, saying, “This time, the election was held in Port Harcourt, and I emerged victorious.”

He added, “We heard that some governors went to Enugu Government House, and an election notice was issued there. But Ohanaeze elections are not held in government houses; they are decided by a general assembly.”

He asked, “Can someone who has never attended any Ohanaeze meeting or demonstrated membership be declared president-general? Ask him if he can boldly stand and say that he is an Igbo, and that Ikwerre people are Igbo as well.”