Eze Ndigbo of Lagos, Christian Uchechukwu Nwachukwu, has blamed the President–General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey for the seeming leadership crisis bedeviling the Igbo in Lagos.
Nwachukwu, who accused Igariwey of dividing the Igbo more since he assumed the leadership position of Ohanaeze, said the President–General has lost credibility among the Igbo, hence out of touch with the present day leadership realities in Igbo land.
Reacting to a recent publication in the Vanguard Newspaper of Wednesday, March 16, 2016, credited to Igariwey, Eze Nwachukwu stated that Igariwey lacks the power to disown him as Eze Ndigbo of Lagos.
In the publication Igariwey was quoted as having disowned Eze Christian Uchechukwu Nwachukwu as the authentic Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State since 1999.
“I was one of those that made Chief Enwo Igariwey President-General in 2012 in Enugu and as such Igariwey and his rented crowd of mischief makers lack power to remove me as Eze Ndigbo of Lagos and have no credible platform to disown me.
“I was duly elected by Ndigbo in Lagos in 1999 and approved by the Igbo Community, Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers and Ohanaeze Ndigbo. I was subsequently recognised by the late Oba Oyekan of Lagos State and the APC-led governments in Lagos,” he stated.
Speaking further, Eze Nwachukwu hinted that the issue of Eze Ndigbo Lagos was rested in 2008 when the Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers led by Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, in company of Eze Hope Onuigbo of Abia State, Igweh Orizu from Anambra State, Igweh Onovo of Enugu State and Elder Agom Eze of Ebonyi State visited the then Oba of Lagos State, the late Oyekan and affirmed his election as the Apex Leader (Onye Ndu Ndigbo) and warned Chief Hyacinth Ohazuluike to stop impersonating or parading himself as Eze Ndigbo.
Explaining further, Eze Nwachukwu alleged that the current plot to divide Ndigbo in Lagos was as a result of his opposition to the plan by Igariwey and Guy Ikokwu to organise yet another Igbo Forum for 2019 election, aimed at deceiving Igbo in Lagos as well as destabilising the current All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in Lagos.
“As a result of my opposition to their idea of forming a 2019 election forum against APC in Lagos, Igariwey ploted his divide-and-rule mischief by appointing his 12-man Eze Ndigbo regularisation committee to be headed by a PDP Chieftain, Chief Hyacinth Ohazuluike, they also offered me Vice-Chairmansip position which I declined,” Eze Nwachukwu stated.
