Group rejects Umahi’s selection as 2024 Igbo Man of The Year

By Sunday Ani

An Igbo group, Concerned Igbo Elites Forum, has rejected the selection ³of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, as the 2024 Igbo Man of the Year by the Secretary-General of the Chidi Ibeh-led faction of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, describing it as kangaroo nomination that is totally unacceptable and biased.

The group stated this in a statement by its Secretary, Dr. Kelvin Nwosu.

The Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, had last Sunday announced that the former Governor of Ebonyi State, Umahi, has been selected as the 2024 Igbo Man of the Year.

According to the group, “Umahi, since his appointment by President Bola Tinubu as the Minister of Works, has achieved little or nothing to earn the 2024 Igbo Man of the Year ahead of Hope Uzodinma, the governor of Imo State; Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, and others.

“I don’t want to believe that the respected and most prominent largest group in the world is talking of the same Umahi that the House of Representatives committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) heavily lambasted over the deplorable state of the existing roads across Nigeria.

“The House panel noted categorically that under Umahi, federal roads have failed because he is not fixing them.”

The Concerned Igbo Elites Forum wondered how the Chidi Ibeh-led faction of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, after a critical evaluation and independent assessment of public office holders of Igbo extraction as claimed, chose Umahi ahead of Benjamin Kalu whose achievement is mouthwatering since emergence as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“The Deputy Speaker’s proactive involvement in driving infrastructural and socio-economic initiatives is in tandem with President Tinubu’s vision of delivering good governance to Nigerians.

“As an Igbo group, we are against this fraudulent nomination and we are also appealing to other Igbo groups and the entire Ndigbo to kick against this unjust act.”

The group further called on the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo not to turn the forum to where ghost achievements are promoted for selfish interests.