Blackmail, Impersonation, threat to life: Ohanaeze Ndigbo goes after Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, others.

Maurice Okafor, Enugu.

The leadership of Ohaneaze Ndigbo worldwide has vowed to deal ruthlessly with dissidents and acclaimed Igbo activists who have continued to malign the authentic leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo with counter-public statements to achieve their selfish interests.

The President General, of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu said he has received reports from several quarters on the plots t by the dissidents to assassinate him to pave the way for their actions which are inimical to the Igbo race.

He said that the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide under his watch has patiently waited for a change of attitude from members of the group to change their actions, but their attitudes have degenerated to the point which will compel Ohanaeze to invoke necessary actions in line with Igbo culture to discipline them.

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu gave these hints to newsmen as part of resolutions they reached at the National Executive Council[NEC] meeting of the organization held on Wednesday, May 8, at the National Secretariat of the organization, located at 7 parks avenue, GRA, Enugu.

He lamented that the unwholesome activities of the likes of Mazi Okechukkwu Isiguzoro, who claims that he is an official of Ohanaeze Ndigbo while he is not, in collaboration with Prof. Obasi Igwe, Dr Nwankwo Nwaezeigwe and Dr Hartford Ugwu is seriously undermining the collective Igbo interest for their selfish interest.

According to him, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro has constituted a stumbling block to the previous leaderships of Ohanaezue Ndigbo led by the late Raph Uwaechue,Chief Nnia Nwodo and late George Obiozor,but on his assumption of offfice Isiguzoro visited him to pledge his loyalty with a condition that he [Iwuanyanwu] should give him fifty million naira to go for oversea treatment.

Chief Iwuanyanwu said he declined and told him that the organization had no money.

Chief Iwuanaywnu stated,’ Isiguzoro is our major dissident. Each time the real Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by me makes a public statement, Isuguzoro will collect money from his sponsors to counter the position. Isiguzoro did not even contest any Ohanaeze election.

‘I have been managing Isiguzoro because he claims he has a blood relationship with my in-laws. Isiguzoro demanded N50 million naira from me as a condition to stop countering authentic Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership but I told him we had no money. That is why Isiguzoro has continued to blackmail me.

The Ohanaeze President General mentioned Isiguzoro as the person behind the allegation that he wanted to extend his tenure. He said Isiguzoro masterminded the futile staging of a parallel World Igbo day in Rivers state on the same day, the event was fixed at Okpara square at Enugu when he took over the mantle of leadership of Ohanaeze Ndgbo.

Chief Iwuanyanwu said he had received reports of plots to burn his house and that one of the assailants said that even though he was paid to embark on the dirty deal, he succumbed based on the fact that one of his brothers was trained under Chief Iwuanyanwu scholarship scheme.

The Ohanaeze leader said he is being inundated with a series of threats but is not derailing in his commitment to serve the Igbo nation as over 95 per cent of the Igbo race clamoured for his election and are still in support of his good services. He said a thorough investigation of the activities of the dissidents and their plot to destroy Igbo leaders must start thereof.

He asserted that the unruly activities of the dissidents against previous authentic Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership for their selfish interest were the root cause of Late Raph Uwaechue, also the reason for the plot to assassinate Chief Nnia Nwodo and the burning of the family house of his predecessor, Late George Obiozor which he attributed as the major cause of Obiozor’s death.

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Iwuanyanwu, said he was highly embarrassed by the voice message shared on several social media platforms since Thursday, May 2, insinuating that the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo under him decided to go and apologise to the Fulanis over the mayhem of 1966 coup at the retreat it held in Enugu with the theme’ AKOBU IJE’. He described the voice note as another articulated attempt by the disgruntled group to tarnish his image, clarifying that there was never a time the issues relating to the 1966 coup were discussed at that retreat, stating If it was real, Journalists who covered the retreat would have reported it. But the blackmail came from baseless sources more than a month after the retreat.

Chief Iwuanyanwu reiterated his stand on the 1966 coup,’ I have made it clear that the coup of 1966 was purely a military coup and had nothing to be attributed to Ndigbo. Even though Nzeogwu was at the head of the coup, Aguiyi Ironsi, another Igbo man halted that coup. Thousands of Igbos in the North were killed because of misinterpretation of facts. Why should it be Ndigbo who should beg the rest of Nigerians? Instead, they are the ones to beg us over the massacre of our people, ordinary civilians for no just cause.

Chief Iwuanyanwu said he is a fulfilled man by the special grace of God and never wanted to take the mantle of Igbo leadership but bowed when the pressure was overwhelming.

He expressed his determination to continue on the right track as his leadership of Ohaneze Nidigbo is garnering support from all other Igbo associations across the globe but emphasised that the dissidents must be exposed, brought to book and disciplined in line with Igbo culture