Crisis Rocks Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Over Partisan Politics & Other Issues

UCHENNA DIKE

Another Crisis appears imminent in the Igbo sociocultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State, over comments by the President, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, against Igbo Community Centre, creation of Elders Council, dabbling into partisan politics and tenure elongation. 

   
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the center of the controversy is the  incumbent President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, who was said to have delved into partisan politics by appointing and pitching his tent with Engr. Joe Igbokwe and Eze Uche Dimgba’s faction of Ndigbo in Lagos APC.   

                                                       
Chief Aguene was also accused of illegally and improperly constituting Ohanaeze Ndigbo  Elders Council, headed by Chief  Oliver Akubueze, with the sole aim of running for office for a second term, contrary to the Constitution and the agreed Igbo states rotational Presidency.   

 Another offence attributed to Chief Aguene was his purported plot to review the group’s Constitution unlawfully,  in order to favour his desire and decision to stay two terms in office at the detriment of Enugu State indigenes, whose slot it should be in April, 2022.     

A prominent Igbo Son and  Secretary of Ndigbo in APC, Hon. Temple Mba, blasted the Ohanaeze President over the alleged factions springing up in the group, dabbling into politics and his reported negative comments about Igbo Community Centre. 

Hon. Mba, who reminded Chief Aguene of the blessings and support of Igbo Community Centre towards his election as Ohanaeze Ndigbo President three years ago, warned him of the consequences of partisanship and brewing selfish factions,  which he said was capable of smoking him out of office before his terminal date in April, 2022.                                                                 
“What we are saying is that Chief  Solomon Ogbonna Aguene  should start preparing his hand over notes for next year’s election and hand over to an elected Enugu State member. He should not hope to start another crisis, which will consume him with Uche Dimgba led faction and the illegal Elders Council that he hurriedly constituted when he was fighting a war of survival with the first Ohanaeze Ndigbo President,  Chief John Uche.” 

“For all genuine Igbo sons and daughters, Igbo Community Centre, located at Okota, has been a place where Igbo sons and daughters converge to discuss Igbo activities and find solutions for the interest of Igbo residents in Lagos State.”

The Centre, located at Nwachukwu Drive by Church Bus Stop in Okota, Lagos, is where the Palace of Ezendigbo, Lagos State, Eze Christian Nwachukwu, is located. It has been in existence since 1999 before Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene came to Lagos and was commissioned by the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu” Mba said.                                               
Hon. Mba, appealed to the leader of traditional rulers of Igbo ethnic groups in Lagos, Eze Christian Nwachukwu, to forgive the ignorant claims by the Ohanaeze President, Chief Solomon Aguene, that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s rented apartment at Surulere, Lagos, is the only place where Igbo decisions are taken.

He noted that Chief Solomon Aguene was totally ignorant and did not even know that Igbo Community Centre had existed before the formation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which is a fraction of Igbo associations under Igbo Community.

While giving a historical background, Hon. Mba explained that Igbo Community Centre came into place after Eze  Christian Nwachukwu was elected and confirmed as the Ezendigbo Lagos State by the late respected Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ralph Uwazuruike, Eze Ilomuanya and numerous  monarchs from the South East, in the presence of late Oba of Lagos, Oba Oyekan.

According to him, when Eze Nwachukwu became the Igbo leader, he deemed it necessary to built the multi million Naira Igbo Community Centre, where women, youths, men, market leaders and other associations come to have their meetings and take royal blessings over the years.

He wondered why Chief Solomon Aguene, who also came to the Igbo Community Centre for blessings before he was elected Ohanaeze President will cast aspersions on the centre, which  had existed and is well known by the prominent Igbo people and the Lagos State Government.

He further noted that Igbos have lived peacefully over the years until Solomon Aguene was brought to Ohanaeze three years ago and he started causing confusion over tenure elongation.

“Solomon Aguene has brought untold hardship and confusion to Ndigbo in Lagos State. He humiliated the man who brought Ohanaeze in Lagos State, Chief John Uche, sacked and never worked with his Executives to enable him corner everything that comes in, including donations meant for the less privileged,  widows etc and created a kangaroo Elders Committee in order to project his tenure against the Constitution of Ohanaeze. He even dabbled into APC internal matters and appointed APC leadership to show how despotic he is but all his plans will crumble” Mba said.

Hon Mba urged the Igbos to have patience because according to him, Aguene’s tenure will come to an end by April, 2022 and he must leave for Ndigbo to rebuild Ohanaeze in Lagos State.

He however, warned that if  Aguene continues to harass and intimidate Igbo people in Lagos State, including the traditional rulers from various Local Government areas in the State, the Igbos may not have the patience to wait for him to hand over by next year.