Fresh facts have emerged on why the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Electoral Committee for the January poll of the apex umbrella of Igbo socio-cultural associations was dissolved.
The Election Committee before it was dissolved by the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo, was chaired by Senator Ben Obi.
News Echo gathered that on December 6, 2020, the Imeobi Ọhanaeze, the policy making and elite inner caucus organ of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization met at Nike Lake Resort Hotel, Enugu but could not reach a consensus on inauguration of the Election body due to discordant tunes.
A source who did not want his name in print disclosed that the December 6, meeting in Enugu, which was packed with Igbo heavyweights including governors/deputy governors, senators, ministers, etc, went well with the President General, Nwodo, presenting his impressive score card at “his valedictory Imeobi”
“Unfortunately, the atmosphere got charged when it got to the last but most important issue – the setting up of an Electoral Committee for the Ọhanaeze Election to choose Nwodo’s successor, next January”, the source stated.
According to the source, “After Nwodo presented the list of the Electoral Committee there were mixed reactions. Firstly, Senator Dr Chris Ngige, the Hon. Minister of Labour & Productivity noted that the meeting was not properly constituted since many of those present were not Imeobi members ; a point which the President General acknowledged.
Ngige was said to have noted that contrary to the practice in Ọhanaeze, there was no consultations regarding the Anambra State list and that “practicing politicians” being in the list was contrary to the Ọhanaeze Constitution which stipulated that card carrying members of political parties should not be involved in piloting the affairs of the Igbo apex body.
Apparently, Dr Ngige was referring to Senator Ben Obi who was Atiku Abubakar’s campaign Manager at the last Presidential Election and was appointed Chairman of the Committee.
Senator Rochas Okorocha likewise rejected his State’s list, stating that neither he nor other past governors from Imo State were consulted for the compilation of their State’s list.
Okorocha was quoted to have claimed that the meeting of Imo stakeholders where Professor George Obiozor was chosen as a consensus candidate was a charade since he and other key stakeholders like former governors of the state were unaware of such a meeting.
Nwodo, while adjourning the meeting to December 20 after dissolution of Senator Ben Obi’s election committee, appealed to Igbo leaders to act with patriotism in line with the Ohaneze constitution.
He warned that practicing politicians should recue themselves from the Electoral Committee to avoid smearing the Electoral process with their 2023 Presidential politics.Anambra state government has banned with immediate effect the operations of the commercial motorcycles in the state.
The embargo is expected to start from 9pm in the night till 6am in the morning in major cities like Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi where their operations abound.
