Igbos of Delta and Rivers to lead Ohaneze Ndigbo

[afaukwu]

Ohanaeze Insists On Shifting Leadership To Delta, Rivers
By Emmanuel Nzomiwu, Reporter, Enugu

Pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has mandated Anioma people comprising of Igbos who are living in Delta and Rivers States, to submit three names for consideration for the post of Presidential-General of the organisation.

The mandate was given after Friday's 'Imeobi' (Inner Caucus) meeting of *Ohanaeze in Enugu which was presided over by outgoing President General of the organisation, Dr Dozie Ikedife.

The election for the key offices of the organisation has been slated for Saturday November 29, 2008 and based on its rotational principle, the post of President General has been zoned to Delta and Rivers. Enugu State produces the Secretary-General, Ebonyi gets Deputy President- General while Imo produces Assistant Secretary.

However, some prominent members of Ohanaeze are canvassing for the dumping of the rotational formula on the grounds that shifting the position of President-General outside the five core Igbo states of the South-East zone would weaken the organisation.

But Ikedife told newsmen after the meeting that Ohanaeze resolved that the rotational principle must prevail in the interest of a hitch- free and peaceful transition from his leadership to the next leadership.

He said that Ohanaeze leadership had already mandated Anioma people to submit three names, one of whom must emerge on November 29 as the next President -General of the organisation.

Ikedife stated that 'no political interferences' would be allowed in the forthcoming Ohanaeze election, insisting that only credible persons who have the interest of Ndigbo and Nigeria at heart are to be elected into key offices in the organisation.

He assured that his leadership would be very careful during the election to ensure that external forces do not plant their proxies as leaders of the organisation, to pursue interests other than that of Ndigbo.

Ikedife revealed that there was pressure on him to stay on as President- General of the *Ohanaeze but made it clear that he was vacating office at the expiration of his tenure for the new leadership to come on board and continue from where he stopped.

"There is nothing like tenure elongation. I am going. We are holding election on November 29 and the rotation formula will prevail. We have asked Anioma people to give us three names for the post of Presidential General" he said.

Meanwhile, top among the likely contenders for the post of President- General, a source disclosed, include seasoned diplomat, Ambassador Ralph Uwaechue, Emma Okocha and former Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Joe Achuzia.

But the source said that Uwaechue and Okocha may be favoured as the roles Achuzia played in office as Ohanaeze Secretary- General were alleged to have portrayed Ndigbo in bad light.

One of such roles was the support that Achuzia and then President- General, Joe Irukwu, gave to the Third Term Agenda of President Olusegun Obasanjo at a time that Igbos were canvassing for the presidency of the country.