From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The apex Igbo organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, is set to amend its constitution to be in tandem with current realities.
National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Igbo body, led by Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has set a machinery in motion for the purpose.
National Publicity Secretary, Chiedozie Ogbonnia, in a statement, said it was the view of the NEC that the constitution, which was last amended in 2003, be reviewed to accommodate various current developments which were not envisaged in 2003, when the present constitution was amended.
“The constitution which bears the signatures of Joe Irukwu, as the present general; J.O.G. Achuzia, as the secretary general and Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, as the chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, was a product of a constitutional crisis which took place at Imeobi Ohanaeze at the Hotel Presidential, Enugu on November 24, 2003.
“In order to resolve the constitutional impasse, the Imeobi Ohanaeze had to set up a Constitutional Review Committee headed by Iwuanyanwu.
“The release said the Iwuanyanwu committee was mandated to present a report to the Ohanaeze General Assembly at Owerri, Imo State on Sunday, November 30, 2003. And that the report was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly and formed the basis for the election of the national officers on the same day.”
The release further said in spite of the commitment and prudence exhibited by the Iwuanyanwu committee, there were still some discrepancies and unanticipated dynamics that were not contemplated in the last two decades.
“In other words, it is inconceivable to expect a constitution that was last reviewed 20 years ago to fulfil the expectations of the present realities.
“It is based on the foregoing that the NEC of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide calls for memoranda from all the patriotic Igbo sons, daughters, all the Ohanaeze chapters, Ohanaeze women wing, Ohanaeze youth wing, Ohanaeze affiliates, traditional rulers, town unions, professional bodies, churches, Igbo interest groups and other relevant organisations to reach the Secretary of the Ohanaeze Constitution Review Committee, Ezechi Chukwu, on a Whattsapp number 0813-2087496.”
The statement said all the submissions were expected to reach the secretary on or before December 31, 2023.