From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The recent tour of the United States of America and the United Kingdom by the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has yielded bountiful fruits.
He used the London visit to reconcile the feuding factions of the UK chapter of the apex Igbo sociocultural organisation.
The Igbo leader affirmed Lady Aqueen Ibeto as authentic President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in United Kingdom.
At a press conference, text of which was obtained by Daily Sun, Iwuanyanwu passionately appealed to the aggrieved faction to unite and work with Ibeto in the best interest of Ndigbo.
He extolled Ibeto for working assiduously to reposition things for Ndigbo in the United Kingdom, urging that she needed all the support to sustain the good work: “We have President of the Association who is established and who is doing very well and you say she is a woman and we should destroy the structure and put up a man.
“I think it is not fair under any condition, that is why I am worried. It surprises me that some group of people who were there about six years ago when she was elected as Deputy President, the position she held for four years and everybody knows that whoever is Deputy President is a potential President if the President dies, the person will succeed him, but this did not happen.
“These people allowed it and they just come and say the structure should be dismantled, I don’t think it is in the interest of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for the structure to be dismantled and it will be a wrong thing if we listen to that advice, a structure that is serving the interest of Igbo.
“I am appealing to them because it is only two years time, there will be another election by the constitution; we will now look into the issue about women and the office they can hold.”
Like his predecessor, the Late Prof. George Obiozor, he held that the election that produced Ibeto was properly conducted: “I have heard from all sides, I spent hours with the two factions in my home here (United Kingdom) and I asked questions, even the person who is the president of the other group, I asked him whether he contested the election, he did not contest the election.”
He told the factional president that he could only form faction if the election was conducted and he felt cheated, but he never took part in the election.
Former Presidents of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK and Ireland, Chief Onyema Ajiduah Odogwu-abi, and Dr Nnanna Igwe, attended the event.