Ohanaeze Election Chairman, Odoemenam Risks 7 Years Over Court Affidavits

The conflicting dates are now before the court, and this is why Odoemenam risks 7 years over court affidavits if the court finds that he deliberately made a false statement.

The controversy centres on two different dates tendered for the same election, March 29, 2026 on the Certificates of Return, and April 6, 2026 in his later letter and court submission.

The Certificates of Return, duly signed by Mr. Odoemenam as Electoral Chairman, showed that the election was conducted on 29th March, 2026.

But in his letter dated November 8, 2026, addressed to Chuks Nnalugha and Co, Mr. Odoemenam stated that the election was conducted on April 6, 2026.

The letter reads in part, I, Cally Odoemenam, the State Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Electoral Committee, after due consultation with my principal committee members do hereby, withdraw from the court cases in respect of the Ohanaeze election which we conducted on April 6, 2026.

He further stated that the conduct of the election on April 6, 2026 was in error as it violated a subsisting order by a court.

The election produced Chief Leonard Okafor, also known as Oba Ojoto, as President, alongside other elected executives.

Under the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2011, Section 96, perjury, lying under oath before a court on a material matter, attracts up to 7 years imprisonment.

Under the Criminal Code applicable in other Southern states, the punishment is 14 years, and life imprisonment if the perjury was to procure conviction for an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment.

For Lagos, where this case is situated, the maximum is 7 years.

Perjury is not mere mistake. To prove it, the court must be satisfied that the person swore to tell the truth, knew the statement was false, deliberately lied, and the lie was material to the case.

No court has made any finding against Mr. Odoemenam at this time.

A member of the Electoral Committee, Rev. Paul Eze, in a letter titled RE: Your Request to Withdraw Your Sworn Court Submission, A Serious Procedural Misconduct, challenged Mr. Odoemenam’s attempt to withdraw his sworn submission.

He said, A court of law is not a private room that one enters and exits at will. Once you have made a sworn submission and tendered documents under oath, you cannot unilaterally withdraw it by writing to a party. Only the court can decide on such application.

Rev. Eze alleged that Mr. Odoemenam signed conflicting documents bearing different dates for the same election, and that the conflicting documents are already before the court.

He said, Your attempt to now withdraw your confirmation after these discrepancies were highlighted raises serious questions of credibility and, prima facie, forgery.

He added, We will be bringing your request and the conflicting documents to the attention of the court for its proper consideration.

Supporters of Chief Leonard Okafor, also known as Oba Ojoto, have also questioned the discrepancy.

They asked, If the election was conducted on April 6, 2026, why did the Electoral Committee Chairman sign the Certificates of Return showing that the election was conducted on 29th March, 2026, duly signed by the same Cally Odoemenam.

They said the Chairman’s letter does not in any way invalidate Oba Ojoto’s election after 9 months, and they are standing firm on boycotting any so-called fact-finding committee.

The conflicting dates are now before the court. Only the court can determine which date is correct, whether there was an intentional false statement, and whether it amounts to perjury or any other offence.

As at the time of filing this report, Mr. Odoemenam has yet to respond to the date discrepancy and the allegations raised by Rev. Eze. This platform will update the story with his reaction when received.