Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide on Monday dismissed media reports that a candidate had been chosen to occupy the post of the President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization.
Imo state is expected to assume the presidency of the group by rotation.
In a statement signed by Chief Emeka Attamah, Special Adviser on Media & Publicity to the President-General, Ohanaeze Group, described the report as a “spurious, mendacious and malicious news item”.
Full statement below:
The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to a spurious, mendacious and malicious news item making the rounds that a candidate has been chosen to occupy the post of the President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, which by rotation, is now the turn of Imo state.
The said vexatious piece would have been ignored for the chaff it is but for the fact that it impinges on the solid and time-tested tradition of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in choosing its leadership and the integrity of its present President General, Chief John Nnia Nwodo.
The truth of the matter is that posts in Ohanaeze Ndigbo are rotational and positions zoned to States. It is the responsibility of states to chose their candidates which they may prune down for their convenience.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has the responsibility of organising election for all those who indicate interest and buy forms for the election.
It is therefore, preposterous and the height of mischief for anybody to write or in any way infer that Chief Nwodo went for an Imo State stakeholders meeting in Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu’s office.
Chief Nwodo couldn’t have been at a meeting of Imo State Leaders Thought for the purpose of choosing a candidate for President General when he wasn’t invited and Ohanaeze didn’t organise it.
Moreover, the decision at the meeting will not stop Ohanaeze from conducting the forth-coming election.
As a matter of fact, Chief Nwodo has not visited Chief Iwuanyanwu since the latter’s birthday celebration last year. They only met recently at a meeting with the Governors of the South East over other matters.
It is wrong for people to listen to an illegitimate, sponsored and disgruntled group of people masquerading as the Youth Wing of Ohanaeze.
It is also a great affront to the dignity and image of Ndigbo for purveyors of these fake news intended to mislead the public to be taken seriously.
People should verify such information from the office of the President General before accepting or releasing them, unless some mischief is intended.
As to the conduct of the election, an announcement will be made by Ohanaeze Ndigbo after the meeting of the Imeobi next week.
Any current information or story about the forth-coming election remains the figment of the imagination of its purveyor. Any such story is therefore, false, void and puerile.
No amount of innuendos and blackmail will deter Ohanaeze from bequeathing a virile leadership to Ndigbo.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, under the leadership of Chief Nwodo, is committed to the inviolate tradition of conducting a free, fair and transparent election to usher in its successors in January 2021.
