Iwuanyanwu’s Death: Ohanaeze Ndigbo speaks on leadership controversy

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide says there is no leadership tussle in the group following the recent death of its President-General, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Igbo socio-cultural group, Alex Ogbonnia, disclosed this on Friday in Enugu, stressing that such speculation by a section of the media was untrue.

“There is no leadership row or tussle in Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide at present and there is not likely to be one in the near future,” Mr Ogbonnia said.

He said the group’s National Executive Committee (NEC), comprising erudite scholars, technocrats and veterans of diverse fields, was already seamlessly carrying out the functions of the organisation.

“This is being done seamlessly on a daily basis by the appropriate structures under the administrative competence of the Secretary-General, Okey Emuchay.

“Iwuanyanwu passed quietly on July 25 and it is very ill-advised and strange for an Igbo to begin to claim the position of the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, even when the burial committee for Iwuanyanwu is yet to be constituted.

“There is a letter in circulation that Dr Jackson Omenazu was nominated or selected to replace late Joel Kroham, who until his death was the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

“However, such a letter was not made available to the NEC of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,” he said.

Mr Ogbonnia added that it would be insensitive and inconceivable for the NEC to adopt a replacement for Mr Kroham based on a mere letter from Rivers State.

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He said this was especially true for many of them, who were very ambivalent and “sceptical about their Igboness.”

He stressed that Mr Omenazu had the right to pursue his interests as the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in January 2025 without bringing Ohanaeze Ndigbo into disrepute.

(NAN)