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Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The leadership crisis rocking the Kaduna State chapter of Abia State Indigenes Welfare Association (ABSIWA) appear to be getting worse, as a splinter group, has threatened to disrupt the Abia Cultural Day celebration scheduled for this weekend.
At a press conference, yesterday, President of the group, who claims to be the authentic leader of ABSIWA, Chief Ebere Ekpendu said it was illegal for anybody or group of persons to use the name of the association to organise any event as the dispute and other issues pertaining to the leadership of the association had remained a subject of litigation for the past two years without its resolution.
“Should they go ahead with the plan to hold the event, we will seal up the venue because the case is still in court,” said Ekpendu.
Narrating the genesis of the leadership crisis, Ekpendu said, “the last Thursday of February 2017, a group sprang up after their meeting and presented themselves to the president of Igbo Community Welfare Association (ICWA), Chief Chris Nnoli, as interim officers of our association. Nnoli, without asking from the incumbent executive, inaugurated them as officers of ABSIWA. The group invited tugs and police to the meeting venue and dragged out majority members of Abia representatives who were in a meeting that day. I would have been killed if I had been present.”
However, Chief Patrick Lawson, who claims to be the rightful president of ABSIWA in Kaduna has described Ekpendu’s statements as empty threat.
“There are few elements who want to cause disunity among the people of Abia state in Kaduna. But they cannot do anything. They are just going about to tell blatant lies against us. One day we will resolve the crisis. But for now, the event will hold as scheduled; prominent persons have been invited, including top security personnel,”said Lawson.
Meanwhile, a leader of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the 19 northern states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Chief Austin Amaechi has cautioned the factional groups.
