Mariam Adebukola 
Barely 30 days to the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the President of the Feferal Republic of Nigeria slated for May 29, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Ime-Obi has declared that “no force on earth will stop the swearing-in.
Ime-Obi, which is Ohanaeze’s highest decision-making body, said that the organization would be giving Tinubu the maximum support to ensure that his administration succeeds.
The socio-cultural group stated this on Saturday while reacting to a faction of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that said it would not recognize Tinubu as the President-elect over his refusal to include Igbos in his transition committee.
Speaking in a statement issued by Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Ohanaeze’s Secretary-General, the body stressed that it recognizes Tinubu as the President-elect of Nigeria and would support him after his inauguration.
The statement reads, “Some people are making an unauthorized statement that they don’t recognize Tinubu as the president-elect, but let me make it categorically clear that those statements are coming from unpatriotic elements that have been suspended from the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“Ohanaeze will participate fully in the inauguration of the President-elect. It’s unpatriotic for anyone to use the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to say that a man who was declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election would not be recognized by Ndigbo.
“Ndigbo fully recognizes the president-elect, Vice President-elect, Shettima and we will continue to give them maximum support until a court of competent jurisdiction says otherwise.
“We will not allow people who made Ndigbo enemies of Buhari in 2015 to lead us into another tight situation where Igbos will be portrayed illegitimately that we are against or will not recognize the President-elect, which is not the position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“Ndigbo are progressive-minded, economically oriented and would continue to support any government at the centre.
“Those trying to pick quarrels on behalf of Ndigbo against Tinubu will not succeed because we are partaking in the inauguration at the Eagles Square, and there is no force on earth that would stop the President-elect from being sworn in, he addded.
“Tinubu should not listen to those not speaking on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, we will continue to support and give him maximum support and ensure that his government succeeds.
He further explains that, “The Ime-Obi Ohanaeze has never authorized anybody to speak against the President-elect. Ime-Obi has fully identified and would support whoever won the presidential election.
“Ohanaeze is not an enemy to the president-elect and would not allow anybody to make an unfounded statement that Ohanaeze does not recognize Tinubu.”
