President-general of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has endorsed Lady Aqueen Ibeto as the bona-fide President of United Kingdom (UK), chapter of the association.
Iwuanyanwu in a virtual press briefing on Thursday 17th of August, 2023 in London passionately appealed to aggrieved factions to unite and work with Lady Ibeto who is the President of the United Kingdom Chapter of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation in the best interest of Ndigbo.
The event which was monitored in Abuja had at the briefing Chief Onyema Anthony Ajiduah Odogwu-abi, President Emeritus Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, UK & Ireland, and the immediate past president, Dr Nnanna Igwe.
According to him, “We have the President of the Association who is established and who is doing very well and you say she is a woman and we should destroy the structure and put up a man.
Iwuanyanwu indicated that it would be very unfair under any condition especially having been elected as Deputy President about six years ago only to now bring up the issue of gender to deprive her of the positio
Sge has held the position she held for four years and everybody knows that whoever is deputy President is a potential President if the President dies, the person will succeed him, but this did not happen.
“These people allowed it and they just come and say the structure should be dismantled, I don’t think it is in the interest of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for the structure to be dismantled and it will be a wrong thing if we listen to that advice, a structure that is serving the interest of Igbo.”
“I am appealing to them because in two years time there will be another election it is then that the constitution will look into the issue about women and the office they can hold.”
Explaining further, Chief Iwuanyanwu indicated that the election that produced Lady Ibeto was conducted according to the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, adding that based on the meeting held, there is no where anybody said the election was rigged.”
He pointed out that like his predecessor he believed that the election that produced Lady Ibeto was properly conducted.
The President-general of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation said, “I think like my predecessor, I think the election that produced Lady Ibeto was properly conducted and she won the election.
“I have heard from all sides, I spent hours with the two factions in my home here (United Kingdom) and I asked questions, even the person who is the president of the other group, I asked him whether he contested the election, to my dismay, he did not contest the election.”
Speaking further, Chief Iwuanyanwu explained further that he asked the President of the other faction how he became the President, “because you can only form faction if the election was conducted and you felt cheated, but he never took part in any election.