The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Ohanaeze ndigbo

  • Facilitate Nnamdi Kanu’s release- IPOB, Ohanaeze

     

    Igbo leaders in the United Kingdom have demanded immediate and unconditional release of leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.

     

    The group which also flayed the rendition of Kanu, a British citizen to Nigeria for trial, also demanded that he should be paid full compensation for kidnap, torture, rendition and illegal detention.

     

     

    They further called on the international community to impose economic and other diplomatic sanctions on the Nigerian government including its principal officers for their blatant human rights breaches, violations, corruption and acts of genocide against Nigerians, if adequate and acceptable correctional measures were not implemented within a reasonable timeframe.

     

    Text of a press conference in UK by President, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, UK Dr Nnanna Igwe, Coordinator, Congress of Igbo Leaders (CIL) UK, Obi Okoli, Leader, Council of Igbo Community (CIC) UK, Alex Coker Ezemakam and Chairman, Ogbako Ndi Igbo, UK, Dr Jude Eze, also read: “We are united in our condemnation and rejection of the security status quo in Igboland and Nigeria.

     

    “We demand of the Federal Government an immediate withdrawal of its deadly troops from the South East region of Nigeria.

     

     

     

    “We ask that they put a stop to the senseless killings of Nigerian Christians including Igbo youths. There is no justification whatsoever for this mindless madness. Consequently, we view continued slaughtering of Igbo youths as a disguised attempt at ethnic cleansing; the youths are the future. And ours cannot be wasted.

     

    “We request the Federal Government to take urgent remedial steps to institute a comprehensive national dialogue, aimed primarily at resolving the apparent imbalances and injustices within the polity. It’s our considered thought that the lopsided federal systems and structure if unresolved and quickly too, could feed more civil unrest and erode confidence in politicians.

     

    “We fully and wholeheartedly support the clarion calls for a truthful restructuring of the country to a functional fiscal federalism with meaningful political and economic powers devolved to the regions,” the group stated.

     

    The coalition said it was mobilising for the ‘London mega 2 peaceful rally’ slated for Saturday, July 24, at London UK Trafalgar Square, to call for Kanu’s release and push for a stop to genocide in the South East of Nigeria.

     

    President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK and Ireland, stated that there would be visits to the British Parliament, No 10 Downing Street; the United States Embassy, Nigerian High Commission and the Commonwealth  headquarters, London.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • 2023 Presidency: Ohanaeze pushes for Igbo presidency

    Apex Igbo organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, said there was no going back on the push for a president of Igbo origin in 2023.

     

    It described the clamour for the president by Igbo as equity-inspired, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had betrayed Igbo in spite its long years of support to the party.

     

     

     

    Reacting to the recently released committee report of the PDP bordering on the 2023 presidential election, the Igbo group said they would rely on their goodwill across the geopolitical zones to push for the position.

     

    PDP Committee on the Review of the 2019 General Elections, headed by Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, had recommended that the party should allow aspirants from all parts of the country to contest for its 2023 presidential ticket.

     

    Mohammed, however, acknowledge that “ in line with certain unwritten conventions of the nation’s history, many people think that for fairness and equity, the North-East and South-East geo-political zones that have had the shortest stints at the Presidency should be given special consideration in choosing the presidential flag bearer of the party for the 2023 elections.”

     

     

     

    Ohanaeze said the report by the Mohammed-led committee was most despicable, un-reflective and unconscionable.

     

    A statement by Ohanaeze’s National Publicity Secretary, Alex Ogbonnia, said it was worrisome that some highly placed Nigerians who had benefited so much from the unity of the country, would be inclined to decisions and actions that would further inflame the passions of the patient, but aggrieved part of the country.

     

    Ohanaeze said Nigerians agreed on rotation of presidency between the North and the South, and that it was the turn of the South it vie for the position after the expiration of the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.

     

    “For clarity purposes, both the South West and the South South had both taken their turns in the persons of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan respectively. It is rather very unpatriotic and a trifle on the sensibilities of Igbo for the committee to even suggest the rotation of the presidency to the North East in the first instance and open to every part of Nigeria as a major slight.”

     

    “It is disturbing that all the indignities, perceived and real, that the South East suffer in the current dispensation are the outcome of Igbo support to the PDP since 1999. It is on record that in 1999, Igbo were in hock with the PDP through which Chief Olusegun Obasanjo emerged President, same in 2003 and subsequent elections. On the other hand, the Igbo had invested much political capital in the PDP only to be betrayed by its apparent lack in principles. The leadership of the PDP is advised to retract the comment made by Bala Mohammed and countermand the content of the obnoxious committee report in the intere st of the party.”

     

     

     

     

     

    www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Court dismisses suit against Ohanaeze Ndigbo, declares it a legal entity

    The Abuja division of the Federal High Court sitting, yesterday, in Abuja, dismissed a suit seeking to declare the apex Igbo social-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo as an illegal association.

    Justice Inyang Ekwo specifically dismissed an application brought by the Incorporated Trustees of Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly, seeking an order to compel the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and the Attorney General of the Federation to commence criminal prosecution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General, Prof. George Obiozor, and others, for allegedly operating an unregistered association.

    The applicant of the suit had claimed that the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, was an illegal association. Ruling in the suit filed by Amobi Nzelu, on behalf of the applicant for a judicial review, Justice Ekwo held that the applicant has failed to furnish the court with facts that would warrant the granting of its relief.

    In the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/56/2021, the applicant applied for leave for the issuance of an order of mandamus compelling the IGP and AGF to exercise its powers and “arrest, investigate and commence criminal proceedings against Prof. George Obiozor, Obi Nwali, Okey Emuche, Beatrice Eze, Bartholomew Okeke and Ogbonna for running an illegal and/or unregistered association known as Ohanaeze Ndigbo.”

    The motion exparte was brought pursuant to order 34 Rules 1(a) and (3) of the Federal High Court Rules 2019 and section 6(6) (a) of the 1999 constitution. The plaintiff’s counsel had alleged that while his client is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the name “Ohanaeze Ndigbo” was not captured in the commission’s record as the organisation headed by Prof. Obiozor.

    But in his ruling, Justice Ekwo said the applicant failed to provide facts to guarantee the success of his application. Subsequently, he termed the suit as frivolous and dismissed it for lacking in merit.

    The ruling partly reads: “In my opinion, where such prayer is sought, it must be demonstrated with concrete evidence that those sought to be arrested, investigated and prosecuted have criminal offence(s) known to  law.”

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com