The Igbo Mandate Congress (IMC) has rejected the outcome of the Ohaneze Ndigbo President General election held in Enugu. The group accuses southeast Governors of manipulating the process that led to Senator John Azuta Mbata‘s emergence as president-general.
According to IMC, the Governors conspired to keep the venue of the election secret until the last minute. “The venue of the election was kept top secret till Friday morning when delegates were informed that it would be held at Old Governors Lodge, Enugu,” says Rev Obinna Akukwe, IMC’s Director-General.
Rev Akukwe alleges that at the Old Governors Lodge, a team of police and DSS officials were given lists of delegates approved by the respective Governors. “The lists were compiled and approved by the Governors, ensuring that only their loyalists were allowed to participate in the election,” he claimed.
Corruption In The Electoral Process
IMC believes the Governors influenced the delegate lists to favour their preferred candidate. “Delegates were selected by the Governors and their cronies and were told to assemble at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo National Headquarters to collect their accreditation tags and payment for loyalty,” Rev Akukwe explained.
The group claims that some delegates were paid millions or hundreds of thousands of naira for their loyalty. “The loyalty payments were given through electronic transfers at the Ohanaeze Secretariat, while others received theirs at the Old Governors Lodge,” Rev Akukwe alleged.
IMC warned contestants and activists on January 6 that the governors planned to hijack the electoral process. “We alerted the contestants and other relevant bodies that the Governors were planning to manipulate the election, but our warnings were ignored,” Rev Akukwe said.
The group believes that the Governors’ involvement in the election was intended to prevent certain candidates from emerging as leaders. “The aspirants were baited with empty promises, divided, and outflanked before the polls,” Rev Akukwe claimed.
One of the candidates, Ex-IG of Police Mike Okiro, was allegedly forced to step down for Senator Mbata, but he initially refused. After granting a press conference announcing his withdrawal, Okiro appeared at the Ohanaeze Secretariat, got screened, and asked his supporters to await a court judgment.
A Call To Action
IMC calls on all Igbo stakeholders to rise to the occasion and ensure that politicians, especially Governors, do not interfere with Ohanaeze affairs. “The organization is crucial to the overall interest and development of the Igbo race and should be devoid of politics,” Rev Akukwe emphasized.
In a separate development, two factional groups have announced different successors to outgoing president general Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu. The groups declared Dim Uche Nnam Okwukwu and Chief Jackson Omenazu as the new president general of the Igbo socio-cultural group.
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