A group known as the Igbo Mandate Congress, IMC, has rejected the outcome of the election of Ohaneze Ndigbo President General, recently held in Enugu, accusing southeast Governors of manipulating the process which saw the emergence of Senator John Azuta Mbata as the new president general of the pan Igbo socio-cultural organization.
The group, in a press statement made available to Journalists through its Director-General, Rev Obinna Akukwe, alleged that the Governors conspired to keep the venue of the election secret, adding that they had warned prior that the Governors were planning to install a Senator from Rivers State.
The statement read in Part; “The venue of the election was kept top secret till Friday morning when delegates were informed that it would hold at Old Governors Lodge, Enugu. At the old governor’s lodge, team of police and DSS officials were given lists of delegates for the polls and given orders not to allow anyone inside the venue. The lists were as compiled and approved by the respective governors.”
The group accused the southeast Governors of influencing the delegate lists by ensuring that their loyalists emerged potential voters during the election.
“The delegates, selected by the Governors and their cronies were told to assemble at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo National Headquarters to collect both their accreditation tags and their payment money for loyalty.”
“Some delegates told IMC officials that they were paid a couple of millions, while others were paid hundreds of thousands of naira, according to levels and status. The loyalty payments were given through electronic transfers at the Ohanaeze Secretariate while some received theirs at the Old Governors lodge.”the group further alleged.
Rev Akukwe, disclosed that the body, relying on credible information, has earlier alerted the contestants and other relevant bodies, including activists, since Monday, January 6 that the Governors were allegedly planning to hijack the electoral process.
The group claimed that the reason behind the governors’ involvement in the outcome of the process was to deprive some candidates from emerging leaders of the Apex Igbo socio-cultural organization.
“The aspirants, exhuming empty over confidence, were baited, with divided ranks, and outflanked before the polls. The Governors made frantic efforts to force Mike Okiro to step down for Senator Mbata and he initially refused. After granting a press conference announcing a withdrawal until he gets legal redress, Okiro appeared at the Ohanaeze Secretariat , got screened by 10pm and asked his supporters to await a court judgment tomorrow that will enable him to contest.”Rev.Akukwe hinted.
They called on all Igbo Stakeholders to rise to the occasion to ensure that, politicians , mostly Governors remove their hands from Ohanaeze affairs maintaining that the organization is very crucial to the overall interest and development of the Igbo race and should be devoid of politics.
In another development, two factional groups of the Igbo socio-cultural organization, have announced differently, two candidates as successors of Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu, the outgoing president general.
The groups in their separate statements respectively declared, Dim Uche Nnam Okwukwu and Chief Jackson Omenazu as new president general of the Igbo socio-cultural group.