KINGSLEY EBERE
The Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Igbo Speaking Community, Lagos State, Dr Jonathan Nnaji, has reacted as Ndigbo knocks Eze Christian Uchechukwu Nwachukwu over his claim that his group, Igbo Community is the father of all associations in the State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that Dr Nnaji described the claims as bogus, fallacious and unguided comment, which should not have come from Eze Nwachukwu and wondered why he chose to distort the historical facts concerning Ndigbo associations in diaspora.
He explained that there is need to set the records straight in order not to distort history and misinform the members of the public who may believe such distorted statement.
Dr. Nnaji explained that the Igbo Speaking Community was formed as the Apex Igbo group, which unites Ndigbo in diaspora and has been in existence over the years and duly registered at CAC with BOT members before other groups started emerging.
Eze Nwachukwu’s comments drew the attention of the Igbo Speaking community when he allowed an imposter parading himself as the factional Igbo Speaking Community led Chief Sunday Eze and Okenze Tochukwu Anadu, to use his palace to perform their New Yam festival having been disowned and sent away by the Igbo Speaking Community over their alleged conduct.
Dr. Nnaji stated that when his attention was drawn to the matter, he called Nwachukwu as a respected elder, to know why such happened. And he replied that Chief Sunday Eze said that the Igbo Speaking Community chased him away from their meeting venue at the headquarters in Surulere, which Nnaji asked Nwachukwu why he didn’t ask Chief Eze the reason his group was sent away from the meeting venue.
He stated that he explained what happened to Eze Nwachukwu and he promised to counsel Chief Eze and his group but was surprised that Nwachukwu went to the public and started claiming that his Igbo Community is the father of all the Igbo associations in Lagos State, which was not true.
Dr Nnaji reiterated that the group led by Chief Anadu and Chief Eze is not from the Igbo Speaking Community and are not recognized by the BOT. Therefore, any person or group dealing with them is doing so at his own risk.
He explained that the two factions of the Igbo Speaking Community led by Chief Eze and Chief Sunday Udeh have since merged and are waiting for Court consent judgment to conduct election.
While the BOT is still waiting for the Court consent judgment to conduct election, Chief Anadu declared himself President, which has landed him in prison for assaulting one of the Igbo Speaking Community members in his constituency, Iganmu Apapa, over agitation for him to step down for declaring himself president.
Some of the Ndigbo stakeholders who spoke to P.M.EXPRESS expressed shock and surprise that Eze Nwachukwu will dabble into the matter by making his palace a dumping ground for a group disowned by the Igbo Speaking Community, Lagos State.