FELIX NWANERI 
FELIX NWANERI writes on the emergence of a new leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which comes at a time many believe that there is need for bold and uncompromising leadership given the challenges confronting Igbo people
After months of intrigues and political horse-trading, the apex Igbo body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, elected a new leadership last week led by John AzutaMbata, a former senator.
The Ikwerre born politician and businessman, who represented Rivers East Senatorial District in the Senate between 1999 and 2007, succeeds Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu as the group’s president general, an indigene of Imo State. Chukwu was appointed in December to complete the tenure of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who died on July 25, 2024.
Iwuanyanwu, on his part, was named president-general of the group after the demise of Prof. George Obiozor in 2022. Both hailed from Imo State. Elected alongside Azuta-Mbata are Okey Nwadinobi, from Abia State as national deputy president, while Emeka Sibeidu, a former deputy governor of Anambra State, was elected secretary-general.
Others are Dan Okenyi (deputy secretarygeneral), Charles Kalu (national financial secretary), Jane Nwangele (assistant national financial secretary), Peter Aneke (national treasurer), Nnanna Nwakwo (assistant national treasurer), Okeagu Ogada (national legal adviser), Chizoba Iheka (assistant national legal adviser), Ezechukwu Ezechi (national publicity secretary) and Bismarck Orji (assistant national publicity secretary). Five other persons were elected as vice president-generals for states which did not produce a president-general or deputy president.
They are Omeife Jideofor (Anambra), John Duru (Imo), Ngozi Olejime (Delta), Peter Mbam (Ebonyi) and Fred Eze (Enugu). The presidency of Ohanaeze Ndigbo rotates among the five states of the South-East – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo – as well as South-South sates of Delta and Rivers. It is currently Rivers state’s turn to hold the position.
Emergence of the former lawmaker as president-general of the apex Igbo is not only timely, but comes at a time Ndigbo are desirous of Igbo renaissance in a Nigerian nation, where the various ethnic nationalities are making concerted efforts to harness their respective potentials. He is also coming at a time some Igbos, particularly the youth, are disenchanted with Nigerian authorities and are clamoring for self-determination.
Chequered history
Ohanaeze Ndigbo history dates back to the 1930s with the formation of the Lagos Igbo Union, following its members’ wish to host a celebration for Dr. Francis Akanu Ibiam, the second Igbo physician to return from his educational pursuit in Britain.
By giving voice to the plight of the Igbo in Lagos, the union was able to gain traction. It started to enlarge to include the entire Eastern Region in 1943 after changing its name to Igbo Federal Union. Consequently, Ndigbo were able to unite and acquire some degree of consciousness through the union.
A pan-Igbo conference took place in December 1948 in Port Harcourt in what was then the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria ruled by the British Empire. The Igbo State Union was established during the conference by Igbo elites and intellectuals to advance the interests of Igbos. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe assumed office as its first president.
The Igbo State Union’s next president was Chief Z.C. Obi. The Union made an effort to remain politically neutral at this time. Upon assuming office as Head of State, General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi outlawed all political parties as well as ethnic, cultural, and social organisations.
Consequently, in May 1966, the Igbo State Union was banned. After the 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom and the Nigerian Civil War, prominent Igbo leaders felt the need to galvanize the displaced Igbo people into one umbrella body, which would serve as a protection and unifying force for the common interest of the Igbo.
The sociopolitical circumstances that gave birth to Ohanaeze Ndigbo are as relevant today as they were in the 1970s. So, we’d never needed this group more than we do today
Hundreds of these prominent Igbos convened to unify Ndigbo under a new umbrella organisation, the Igbo National Assembly (INA). The organisation was later banned by the then military government over suspicion that the group was a grand design by Ndigbo to regroup for another phase of armed insurrection against the Nigerian government.
In 1976, the Igbo Forum was undauntedly formed with Dr. Akanu Ibiam as chairman, Justice Daddy Onyeama as vice chairman, Chief Jerome Udoji as secretary general and Mr. Jacob Agwu as assistant secretary, while Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was its patron.
However, the proscription of INA did not deter Ndigbo, who through the leadership of Akanu Ibiam and a renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN), renamed the Igbo Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo in 1979.
While Dr. Akanu Ibiam emerged the pioneer president general of the group, Prof. Nwabueze served as pioneer secretary-general between 1976 and 1979.
Subsequent leaders of the group are Chief Mathias Ugochukwu (1979-1983); Prof. Nwabueze (1984-2000), Justice Eze Ozobu (2001- 2003), Prof. Joe Irukwu (2004-2006), Dr. Dozie Ikedife (2006-2008), Amb. Raph Uwechue (2008-2012), Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey (2012-2016), Chief John Nnia Nwodo (2017-2021)., Prof, George Obiozor (2021-2022), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu (2022-2024) and Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu (2024).
Ohanaeze Ndigbo is not a political party, but was planned to serve as a clearing house in matters affecting the interest and general welfare of the Igbo speaking people in Nigeria and the rest of the world. Its structure at the national level has the General Assembly as the highest policy making body.
This is followed by the Ime-Obi (inner caucus) and the Council of Elders, which are serviced by the Executive Committee and other various standing committees. The structure is equally replicated in the state and local government chapters. It would also be noted that the group’s constitution was amended in 1999, which gave room for the integration of both the youth and women into its fold.
High-wired politics
The build-up to last Friday’s election was not a tea party. The race for the office of president-general produced by Rivers State in line with the group’s rotational agreement, was characterised by high-wire politics.
There was equally the fear that the emergence of Ozichukwu’s successor would not only be determined by pedigree as interests beyond Igbo land were part of the intrigues. Internal wrangling also rocked the apex Igbo body ahead of the election.
This explains the emergence of three presidentgenerals in parallel elections held by different factions in the group. In the first election conducted by one of the factions on January 5, in Port Harcourt, Jackson Omenazu, an Ikwerre man from Rivers State, was announced as the group’s president-general.
Another election was conducted on Friday, January 5, where Barr. Uche Okwukwu, a former secretary-general of the group was announced as the new president-general.
The third election, which held at the Old Government Lodge in Enugu, the Enugu State capital the same day (January 10) and saw the emergence of Senator AzutaMbata, no doubt, had the endorsement of Igbo political leadership. Among those who witnessed the election include Governors Peter Mba (Enugu), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Charles Soludo (Anambra) and the deputy governor of Ebonyi State, Patricia Obila.
Herculean task
No doubt, the headship of Ohanaeze comes with challenges, but many believe that Azuta-Mbata, who served in different committees, including Defence, Information, Works and Housing, Women Affairs, Finance and Appropriation, among others., while in the Senate, has what it takes to lead the Igbo nation revered for their republican nature, which loathes the concentration of power in the hands of individuals.
This, perhaps, informed insistence by some notable Igbo sons and daughters ahead of the election on the need for the delegates not to yield to any form of pressure from within or outside Igbo land to elect persons with vested partisan interests and cleavages or surrogates of promoters of the present feudal system in Nigeria, but to ensure the enthronement of an unusual and unconventional leadership that will confront the status quo without fear.
It was reasoned that Ndigbo cannot afford the luxury of allowing compromised elements of the Nigerian establishment, conventional politicians, and sponsored representatives of external interests to take the driving seat of the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
While the Ohanaeze Ndigbo new president-general is yet to unveil his agenda, there is no doubt that he acknowledges the enormity of the task ahead of the Igbo apex body given the state of affairs in Igbo land and the challenges Ndigbo are facing, particularly insecurity.
Stakeholders set agenda
As expected, felicitations have continued to pour in from personalities and groups for the new leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. In various statements, Igbo stakeholders, comprising political and business leaders, expressed confidence that AzutaMbata will unite and effectively position the Igbo race in the nation’s political landscape.
They, however, tasked the new president-general to accord priority to protection of Igbo cultural heritage and restoration of security in Igbo land. Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, who is among Igbo stakeholders to quickly set agenda for the new Ohanaeze leadership, not only stressed the need for a strong and united front by Ndigbo, but called on all to put Igbo interest above narrow interests and partisan politics.
Mbah, who noted that the socio-political circumstances that gave birth to the pan Igbo body remained relevant in present-day Nigeria as they were in the 1970s, extolled the leadership pedigrees of Igbo leaders such as Dr. Michael Okpara, whom he said demonstrated how so much could be achieved when patriotism, altruism and sense of brotherhood are at the core of leadership.
Speaking shortly before the election, the Enugu State governor said: “We may be gathered here for the crucial task of electing members into the National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, but this epic event yet offers a room for introspection, regarding the noble vision that inspired our forebears towards its founding. “The ties that bind us run deep and transcend geographical boundaries, for we are bound by a common history and cultural heritage.
Our forebears clearly understood this. They understood, as well, that unity is a formidable force. “From the Igbo Federal Union to the Igbo State Union and the Igbo Forum that would later become Ohanaeze Ndigbo in 1979, the motivation had always been the desire to forge unity and deep brotherhood amongst the Igbo.
“For them, the collective interest was all that mattered; not narrow interest shaped by party affiliation and boundary lines. Ohanaeze Ndigbo represents the soul of our people, and is firmly anchored on the conviction that we are stronger together. That soul of the people is our unifying force. “The socio-political circumstances that gave birth to Ohanaeze Ndigbo are as relevant today as they were in the 1970s. So, we’d never needed this group more than we do today.
“Our founders and forebears were great men and women ahead of their time. They left for us a glimpse of how much that can be achieved when fostering brotherhood is the defining essence of leadership. “The Premiers of the old Eastern Region, who governed from here, left indelible imprints visible in Enugu as much as in towns like Port Harcourt, Abakaliki, Owerri, Aba, Onitsha, Umuahia, etc.
There is no doubt that Azuta-Mbata possesses the necessary credentials to champion the cause of Ndigbo and strategically position the Igbo people within the complexities of today’s Nigerian politics
“That is the definition of statesmanship. Our forebears were statesmen, who appreciated the expediency of rising above partisan politics when the call of unity beckoned. We will certainly achieve far more when we fully embrace the value of speaking as a collective voice – not as lone, discordant voices.
Championing of Igbo cause
A former governor of Abia State and senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Uzor Kalu, on his part, said he is confident that Senator Azuta Mbata will bring his wealth of experience to bear as president-general of the apex Igbo body.
His words: “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, on your emergence as the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“Over the years, you have established yourself as a distinguished businessman, politician, and statesman, serving Rivers State and Nigeria with excellence and dedication. “I am confident that your wealth of experience and expertise will greatly benefit this role.
There is no doubt that Senator Azuta-Mbata possess the necessary credentials to champion the cause of Ndigbo and strategically position the Igbo people within the complexities of today’s Nigerian politics. “Please know that I remain fully committed to supporting you as we move forward together.”
Ideas that’ll drive peace, devt
A former governor of Anambra State and the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, who also congratulated members of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo new executive, described their election as a reflection of the confidence and hope that the Igbo people have in their leadership abilities and commitment to the development of the region and the nation as a whole.
He expressed the hope that they will use their positions to promote peace and unity in Nigeria and generate ideas that will foster development, peace and progress among the people.
He said: “Their emergence as the leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the umbrella body that unites the Igbo people, underscores the level of confidence and hope the people have in their leadership ability and their commitment to the development of the region and the nation in general,” Obi stated.
“I pray that they will leverage their new offices to continue to work for the peace and unity of our nation and contribute immeasurably to ideas that will drive development, peace, and progress among the people.”
Promotion of Igbo values
Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru, who also congratulated the newlyelected executive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, expressed the belief that Azuta-Mbata will leverage his experience to contribute to the group’s further growth and development.
“This pivotal role offers an opportunity to unite and advance the interests of our ethnic group, promoting our rich cultural heritage, values, and aspirations.
•I am confident that under your able leadership, you will continue to serve as a beacon of progress, fostering unity, development, and a stronger sense of identity among the Igbo people,” he said, assuring the organisation of his administration’s support in their shared goal of addressing the challenges faced by Ndigbo.
Call for collaboration
The South East Senate Caucus, in its endorsement of Azuta-Mbata’s emergence as president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, described it as a milestone in the history of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.
Leader of the caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they have confidence in Azuta-Mbata’s pedigree and leadership qualities that are solid enough to steer Ohanaeze to achieve the much desired unity and development in Igboland as well as the ability to reach out to similar associations outside Igbo land to enhance good relationship for the unity of Nigeria.
•We as a caucus have the confidence that Ohanaeze as constituted under the leadership of Senator Azuta-Mbata will weave the entire Igbo race cohesively together in unity, peace and make Ohanaeze a veritable rallying point for Ndigbo wherever they may be.
•Such trajectory we believe will no doubt encourage, instill confidence and reinvigorate the ability of our people to pursue their individual and collective goal to achieve sustainable development for the overall benefit of Igboland and Nigeria.
•The caucus also lauds the delegates at the general assembly and the political leadership, particularly the state governors for their unwavering commitment to support the new Ohanaeze leadership to succeed,” Abaribe said.
