There are no factions in Lagos Ohanaeze

• Reaffirms proscription of Eze Ndigbo title in diaspora

By Simeon Mpamugoh

Hon Robert Obasi is a politician, businessman and Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Lagos State Chapter. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, (FCIPS) as well as the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (FNIS). In this interview, he speaks on the purported election of Chief Leonard Okafor, alias Oba Ojoto, the proscription of Eze Ndigbo title in Diaspora and other issues relevant to Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

How did you get into Ohanaeze politics?

Ohanaeze is not a political association. It is a sociocultural organization even though in every organization, there is a level of politics. As it is with every Igbo man, there is a point in one’s life that one thinks that it is time to render service to one’s people and when such opportunities come, one offers himself. Before that time, I worked with the former president of Ohanaeze Lagos State, High Chief Solomon Aguene Ogbonna, who is the founder of Aguene Art Foundation. In the course of working with him, I saw all the opportunities for me to be a member of the executive, to contest the election and also contribute my quota in making Ndigbo that reside in Lagos State to have a voice wherever they reside. When the time came in 2022, I contested for the Secretary General of the group in Lagos State. It was zoned out for Ebonyi State and I am from Ebonyi State. So I contested and won the election.

There were series of meetings on reuniting the Solomon Ogbonna and Sunday Ossai factions with the indivisible Lagos State Ohanaeze fold. These efforts led to the election that brought in Chief Leonard Okafor alias Oba Ojoto. Throughout the period, you were noticeably not involved. Why?

First and foremost, there were no series of meetings. People just gathered for a jamboree. There was no way there could be any meeting between the two fractions without the presence of the secretary. So, my absence in the said meetings nullified and voided them. It showed that there was a problem. Therefore, there were no series of meetings. It should be noted that before attaining the position as the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter, I took an oath just like other executives to protect Ohanaeze Constitution and to uphold the Igbo culture. So I cannot be involved in anything that will affect Ndigbo negatively. On the purported election, I can tell you that there was no election. The election that brought in Oba Ojoto was already voided beforehand in the High Court of Lagos State sitting in Sabo Yaba under Hon. Justice Mosunmola Balogun. Oba Ojoto through his counsel on oath told the court that there was no election. In another breath, the same man under oath said there was an election on the 29th March 2026, which according to him was conducted before the judgement of the court, whereas the purported election was conducted on 6th April, 2026.

What really happened?

We went to court. And there was a subsisting order to maintain the status quo there should be no election. Ogbonna’s legal representative was in the court. The court pronouncement was made on 30th March, 2026. Automatically, there shouldn’t have been any election. What they did was to quickly go conduct an “election” on Easter Monday. That election did not meet the standard of Ohanaeze elections. For any Ohanaeze chapter to conduct an election, the National Elections Committee (NEC) from the headquarters of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Worldwide, Park Lane Enugu must send representatives to monitor the election. For the election that brought me to head the secretariat of the group, the then Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Worldwide Amb. Okey Emuchay was present. The former president of the group worldwide, Chief Gary Igariwey, was also present including other NEC members that came to represent the national body. But if you ask Oba Ojoto to mention NEC members that came to supervise his election, he probably will not mention anyone because none of them was present. So his election is null and void. The court nullified and voided it, and Ohanaeze NEC also did the same thing. The President General (PG) of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata is also concerned about the office of the president of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Lagos State chapter, which he says still remains vacant. Even in the Ohanaeze constitution, it is stated that any state that conducts election, the national body will send representatives, which was not done in the case of Oba Ojoto. And a court of competent jurisdiction has issued an order that the status quo should be maintained. The evidence is in the public domain and we are not bothered with what Oba Ojoto and his cohort are doing.

What are your plans now, leading another faction of the group?

There is no faction in Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Lagos State Chapter. Solomon Ogbonna has exited office. But if there is a faction, ask the person who is their parent body and president. I take instructions from the President General, distinguished Senator John Azuta – Mbata. Ask Oba Ojoto where he takes his own instructions. All of them in that group, where are they taking their own instructions? They’re not recognized by Ohanaeze Ndi gbo Worldwide. Oba Ojoto never attended any of the meetings convened by the President General. Solomon Ogbonna in his last days, when he paraded consent judgment for the second term of four years, never attended any Igbo meeting worldwide. All his attempts to attend meetings in Enugu, Oba Ojoto was never allowed to enter the Ohanaeze premises. Anyone can ask him. He knows the truth but continues to deceive people around him that he is Lagos Ohanaeze president. We had a retreat in Enugu recently. He went there, lobbied some people but on the day of the event, he came and was turned back from the gate. The PG said as far as Lagos was concerned there was no president of Ohanaeze. He further said he was coming to conduct an election in Lagos State. I don’t know why Oba Ojoto has remained adamant.

How well has Ohanaeze Ndigbo been able to achieve its objectives?

We have fared very well. Before I came on board, Ohanaeze had been discharging its responsibilities. In Igboland, everybody claims to be a king. Be that as it may, we are still speaking to our people. Ohanaeze has an organogram that if you are not a member of the group, you won’t understand. People want to see an Ohanaeze that comes out to make political pronouncements. Ohanaeze is not set up for that. We have members of Ohanaeze in APC, APGA and PDP. Former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige is an APC member and a member of Imeobi (Inner caucus) of Ohanaeze. Senator Pius Anyim Pius before this time was a member of PDP and also an Imeobi of Ohanaeze. We also have Chief Chekwas Okorie, who is a member of APGA and Imeobi of Ohanaeze. So, in Ohanaeze we have party chieftains with different political affiliations. But what people expect is for the group to be partisan but it can’t be partisan. We are a sociocultural organization. What we do is this: there are ways we disseminate information and Ndigbo will understand themselves. If Ohanaeze’s position is on a certain political party, there is a way the message will be communicated in Imeobi and everybody goes that way. But if you want us to come on the television and radio stations to say that everybody is going to vote party A or B, it’s not done. And all those who go that way are not speaking for Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo. They are the breakaways who want to make money from the politicians and government. So Ohanaeze is apolitical.

What are your thoughts on the proscription of use of the Eze Ndi Igbo title in the Diaspora and institution of Onyendu Ndigbo in replacement?

Onyendu Ndi Igbo is the new way to address any Ohanaeze Ndigbo leader in Diaspora. It’s an excellent name and idea because the Eze Ndi Igbo title has caused several problems in Nigeria and Diaspora. We had the same problem with Eze Ndi Igbo in South Africa, Eze Ndi Igbo Ghana and Eze Ndi Igbo India. One cannot be a king in another man’s land where one does not have territory. Ohanaeze Ndi gbo must have a territorial base. No Yoruba man can go to Enugu and say he is Oba of Enugu. It can’t happen. So it’s for this reason we say that the title Eze (King) should be removed. If one is an Eze in Diaspora, what will the person be in his village? There is a king already in his village, and in Igbo land no king lives outside his domain. So when you are a king in Lagos for instance, if you go back to your village, it means there would be two kings. All these things are contradictory and man-made. Senator Azuta-Mbata in his wisdom has seen that it has created a lot of problems for Ndigbo, and in conjunction with the South East Traditional Rulers Council proscribed the title Eze Ndi Igbo in Diaspora. He came to Lagos where the issue was raised, and consulted with the leaders at the Continental Hotel where the new title: Onyendu Ndi Igbo was adopted. So that we don’t go about doing certain things that Eze (King) in our communities are entitled to do. For example, a few weeks ago I joined my community in the South East and celebrated this year’s new yam festival. The Eze and Nze are the traditional custodians of custom and culture and they cut the yam to mark the occasion. Now in my community anyone can eat new yam, take it to the market to sell or buy, people will start seeing yam in the market because the rite has been completed and gods harvest has been appeased. But in the diaspora no Eze or Onyendu Ndigbo has the right to celebrate the new yam festival because we don’t cultivate yam in diaspora, and there is no harvest season. One cannot just go to the market, buy yam and say he is celebrating the new yam (Iwaji) festival. It doesn’t make sense. These are some of the things we want to do to reduce the effects on our traditions. So what the PG did is the best thing that can happen to Ndigbo and restore peace with Ohanaeze leaders and their host communities.

There is an allegation that the factionalisation in Ohanaeze Lagos State is being fueled by some people who are benefiting from the crisis and don’t want peace and unity of the group. What are your thoughts about it?

Who doesn’t want unity and the coming together of Ndi Igbo? That is the question to ask. Is it Leonard Okafor and his group that knew that what they were doing was against the constitution of Ohanaeze? That the constitution says four years rotational presidency and other offices? After serving as the Secretary General, I’ll not be the SG again. It’ll be zoned out to another state. Ohanaeze president has been zoned to Abia State and Sir Oliver Akabueze (Mmiri Ndigbo) was the president. After him, it went to Anambra State. After Anambra, it went to Ebonyi State and Solomon Ogbonna was the president. So it should not go back to Anambra again. Imo has not done, Delta has not done and Rivers State too. Why is it going back to Anambra again? Are they the ones that don’t want the coming together of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo or those of us that insist that the constitution which all of us swore to uphold, is supreme? These are the questions those who don’t want the coming together of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo should answer. One cannot be doing the wrong thing and expect some people to join in doing the wrong thing.

What is your impression about the standoff between Ohanaeze and Lagos State Government in recent times?

Lagos State Government has passed a circular, which a copy has been made available to us – that there should be nothing like Eze Ndi Igbo title in all its 20 Local Governments Areas (LGA) and the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDA). The State House of Assembly has also informed us through a correspondence, which we have acknowledged through the President General, and dispatched to Alausa to the Governor, that we are in agreement with them. So, we have gone past the stage except those who are acting on ignorance that will say that they are still Eze Ndigbo this or that LGA or LCDA. We are now in the second phase which is the implementation. When the state begins implementing it, maybe everybody will adjust. The wise ones among them had already aligned themselves with the national Ohanaeze. Part of the communication for those in Lagos State reads: “In accordance with the law enacted by the Lagos State House of Assembly, the use of the titles Igwe, Eze, and similar traditional titles by any individual within Lagos State is prohibited and banned.

“This position is in strict compliance with the directive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, which has unequivocally directed that the use of titles such as Eze Ndi Igbo, Igwe, and related diaspora traditional appellations must cease globally.” So the Eze Ndi Igbo title in Diaspora has become a thing of the past. In our meetings we no longer address any Diasporan traditional leader as Eze but Onyendu (leader).

What is the way forward in forging a lasting peace among the rank and file of the group in Lagos State?

Simple! Those who are the agents of darkness, who know the truth but refuse to follow it should stop. If one is a chorister and sings off key, one should know that he/she is the person spoiling the song and if he/she is taken away, the song will be synchronous. So those who know that they are doing the wrong thing should halt it. Walking here and there bribing people presumed to be leaders and influencing their wrong ambition will not let us make headway. The difference between our generation and the men of the 70s is that before this time, we don’t do what they do. A man from the seat of power in Ikeja can call someone: “hey! What is the problem?” Before he knows it, he orders some cash out to him and his purpose will be derailed completely. I know how many of them who had approached me with money and we said no, let the right thing be done and we will do the right thing. The problem they are having is that we’re not backing down. We have insisted that the election that didn’t meet the demands of the constitution of Ohanaeze be nullified but some people are asking us to leave it, that before one knows it 4 years will elapse. We cannot build on illegality. It was the same pattern with Solomon Ogbonna and his days with consent judgment. This is what we are suffering now. It gets to a time this must be stopped even if it is going to take us 10 years to stop it. If we’re not alive to witness it, our followers will know that it’s what we stand for and they’ll join us to make it happen. We must correct the anomaly.

Who is the current authentic president of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo backed by the PG in Lagos State?

He is High Chief Linus Igbudu. He is the Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndi gbo and the President of Enugu State Towns Union. What happens is that every town union president automatically is the vice president of Ohanaeze. When Sunday Ossai was lured out by Solomon Ogbonna and Okafor, the next person that should have taken over was his deputy. But the deputy who is from Anambra State, in his wisdom said it was zoned out for Enugu State, let the vice from Enugu State handle the administrative job of Ohanaeze pending when the national body will conduct election. That is a man that has wisdom. Because constitutionally, he would have taken over the mantle of leadership but because he wanted peace, he delivered up the place and paved the way for an Enugu man to take over. And that Enugu man is the person currently on the helm of affairs in Ohanaeze Lagos State. There are no issues with our leadership. We have meetings with the deputy president, Acting President Linus Igbudu and his deputy including Anambra Town Union’s president all sitting with us. The man behind the shenanigans is from Anambra State. He is the president of Anambra Town Unions Association in Lagos State. Yet he is against the action of Oba Ojoto. He has told him that the tenure is not for Anambra State and that the state has taken their own turn and should allow other states to take theirs. This is also our position with democracy in Nigeria: that the presidency should be rotated amongst the six geopolitical zones, which is what we want to happen in Ohanaeze. But some people are kicking against it. For us in Ohanaeze, no one can kick against it because it is in our constitution. If it’s not in the constitution, Senator Mbata who is from Rivers State wouldn’t have been Ohanaeze President General. It’s rotational and that’s why Rivers State’s turn produced him. After him it’ll be taken to another state. Nnia Nwodo was from Enugu. After him we had Imo State which produced Prof. George Obiozor and when he died we had Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu who took over. When he died Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu completed the remaining days of his tenure. And because the constitution states that the President General must be the one to set up an electoral committee, three weeks to the election Iwuanyanwu died. After his burial, the group appointed Ozichukwu from Imo State, who became the PG for three weeks thus completing Iwuanyanwu tenure. He also constituted the electoral committee that saw to the election of Senator Azuta-Mbata from Rivers State. It was Rivers’ turn. After him, it’ll go back to Abia State. So the people causing the problems in Lagos State know themselves. And they should be asked: the Lagos Ohanaeze presidency they are fighting for, is it zoned to Anambra State? Why would an Anambra man, after handing over to Ebonyi man come back again to preside over the same body? It’s not done anywhere.