Ogbonna, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos President Dissolves Elders/Ndieze Council, Names New Leaders; Warns Anti-Igbo Elements To Stay Off
By Oki Samson
L-R: Former President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos, Dr Femi Ferguson; President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene; Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Political Forum, Chief Chris Ekwilo and Organizing Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Political Forum, Chief Uche BabaTata during a press Conference on Introduction of New Leadership of Ndieze Council of Traditional Rulers in Lagos at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Secretariat, Surulere.
Following unwholesome activities which could tarnish the rich culture and traditions of the Igbo nation and bring disrepute to the image of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos, the President of the sociocultural group in Lagos, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene has dissolved the Elders Council and Ndieze which he constituted in 2018 until further notice because those who he appointed leaders are not living up to expectations. He made this known in a press briefing attended by Trek Africa Newspaper.
He named Eze Lawrence, the Eze Ndigbo in Alimosho as the new chairman council of Ndieze and will unveil the new chairman of the council of elders very soon.
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Chief Solomon Ogbonna noted: ‘I dissolved the Elders Council because they were using it to constitute nuisance by recruiting people below the age standards into Elders Council to make money that is why I dissolved the Council. You will see a 15-year girl as a member of Elders’ council, a 25 years old man as a member of the elders’ council of Ohanaeze. It has become a disgrace to Igbo culture and tradition for which reason I decided to dissolve it.’
L-R: Deputy Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Political Forum, Chief Anselm Udoka (Orobo); Chief (Mrs.) Eucharia Nwagwu; Hon Smart Unya and Col Reuben Nwako (rtd) during a press Conference on Introduction of New Leadership of Ndieze Council of Traditional Rulers in Lagos at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Secretariat, Surulere.
This decision is however not going down well with the people he regarded as ‘detractors’. According to him, the detractors have gone ahead to claim that he didn’t constitute the council, forgetting that it was the same council that was used to sanction Chief John Uche who was the first elected president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos State. He was suspended for anti-Igbo activities in Lagos.
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Ogbonna told Trek Africa Newspaper, ‘I was the one who suspended the first elected president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Uche. But now the man has been exalted again by me. I want to state that today, we have lifted the sanction on Chief John Uche. I am still the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos state. The only way you can remove me is by setting the court judgment aside. There is no impeachment.’
L-R: Mrs. Nwokoro (Lolo Africa); Chief Uche BabaTata; Eze Emmanuel Chukwuakaliakamadu; Chief Anselm Udoka (Orobo); President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene and Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Political Forum, Chief Chris Ekwilo.
He added: ‘It is also very opportunity to let the people know about the antecedents of these detractors who have resorted to the use of the council for their own personal gains, men who were tailors in Aba, arrived Lagos to begin to dupe their people. We need to curb their activities because it is against our culture and tradition. So whatever the enemy of Ndigbo in Lagos, is telling people on social media that I was not the one who constituted the Council of Elders in Lagos state is null. I don’t of any faction.’
In the same vein, Dr. Femi Ferguson, former president of Ohanaeze, commended Ogbonna for his contribution to improving the welfare of Ndigbo in Lagos state. Fergusson said, “This is the first time that an Igbo man would remember hundreds of our windows empowered them, he is still doing more. He used his connection to release over 100 cars ceased by the Lagos State government’, Trek Africa Newspaper gathered.
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Ferguson continued: “He got lawyers to release Igbo people held unjustly at the prisons in Lagos state. He intervened in the market crises and resolved them. Since he took over as the president of Ohanaeze Lagos State, no market has been shut down.’
L-R: Cross Section of Members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos during a press Conference on Introduction of New Leadership of Ndieze Council of Traditional Rulers in Lagos at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Secretariat, Surulere.
Clarifying the position of the judgment that extended Ogbonna’s tenure, “He didn’t extend his tenure as president, it was myself, late Ugonabo dragged him to court, to stop him from parading himself as president, all his executives, including the national office, ran away, he was not in that suit initially, and when the national office disappeared we had to join him in the suit.
He sought for peace, and that was why we went back to court and made a prayer for a consent judgment. Court heard our prayer, dissolved the entire executive, and extended his tenure as president’, Ferguson reiterated.
On the next line of action, ‘We will take our time to constitute another Council which will work for all Igbos’, Chief Solomon Aguene disclosed to Trek Africa Newspaper.
Cross Section of members of Ohanaeze ndigbo in Lagos during a press Conference on Introduction of New Leadership of Ndieze Council of Traditional Rulers in Lagos at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Secretariat, Surulere.
CDT; Trek Africa Newspaper