Ohanaeze: More Hurdles For Prof Obiozor As Another Igbo Group Rejects Election Citing ‘Bribery’

The Alaigbo Development Foundation, Friday, joined several other Igbo groups to condemn and reject the Jan. 10, 2021 Ohanaeze general election which produced Prof George Obiozor as president general, saying the process was marred by “bribery and manipulation.”

The foundation, in a press release made available to THE WHISTLER in Awka, said it arrived at its decision after an emergency meeting of the Council of the Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), which was convened via zoom to discuss reports of the election.

The release, signed by its president, Prof Uzodinma Nwala; vice president, Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi; BoT chairman, Bishop Obi Udezue Onubodu, and publicity secretary, Hon Abia Onyike, stated that the council rejected ‘in its entirety the outcome of the elections and refuses to recognize any one elected in and through the purported Owerri Ohanaeze election’. The council said the foundation did not participate in the election, adding that, ‘if anyone associated with the ADF did participate in the conduct of the election, he did so on his own personal accord or as a representative of another organization’.

The grounds for the rejection of the Ohanaeze election, according to the release, are that, “The entire preparations and conduct of the election breached the constitution of Ohanaeze; they exhibited arrogance, impunity and inordinate desire to foist a pre-determined list of officers and leaders of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

“Reports from the field of the election confirmed the corrupt nature of the elections involving bribery and brazen manipulation of the outcome. In addition, the venue of the election was flooded with the intimidating presence of federal security forces, including soldiers and police.

“Reports from various Igbo communities, both at home and in the Diaspora since January 10, show that a majority of Ndigbo are in a virtual state of mourning over this latest arrogant show to the entire world that the Igbo nation is indeed a conquered territory.”

The ADF Council, in the release, commended individuals and groups that had condemned the Owerri election, including Ime Obi Ohanaeze, the Global Igbo Leaders, the World Igbo Congress (WIC), the Igbo World Assembly (IWA), the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), the leadership of Nzuko Umunna, and leaders of the Anioma and Rivers communities.

It continued that, “The ADF calls on the Igbo nation not to allow the unfortunate incidents surrounding the botched Ohanaeze election to dampen their spirit of resistance against the present siege on Igboland and the entire Igbo nation. We further call on Igbo women to rekindle their spirit of resistance in like manner that helped to destroy the fabric of the colonial apparatus.

“In the same way, we urge our community leaders to ensure the emergence of town unions as true instruments of development and avoid being seen as a body of opportunists always leaking the booth of self-serving politicians.”

On the next line of action, the council stated that, “If they persist on sustaining this dead Ohanaeze as the Igbo socio-cultural organization, then ADF shall, before the end of January 2021, and in conjunction with other patriotic Igbo organizations and leaders of Ndigbo, proceed to search for and put in place an alternative Pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization that will stand for and protect the interest of Ndigbo and the entire Igbo nation.”