Don’t use our name for campaigns, Ohanaeze warns politicians

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organization Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has cautioned against using its name and platforms for political solicitation and patronage as well as personal pleasure.

The warning was given on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Ohanaeze National Secretariat in Enugu by the organization’s secretary general, Amb. Okey Emuchay.

According to Emuchay, those who visited political leaders and stalwarts under the banner of Ohanaeze did so as private people rather than on behalf of the organization’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

He said, “It is important for me to make this clarification in view of what has been trending in the media since last Thursday.”

The secretary-general condemned those using the name of Ohanaeze for their personal and selfish enterprise, adding: “It has been turned into a kind of cottage industry.

“Some people are moving around, going from one place to the other, promising people that they would do this on behalf of the Igbo nation, using Ohanaeze’s name and platforms.

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“To me, this is not acceptable and we call on those people to please cease using the name of Ohanaeze to extort money from members of the public.

“This is to say that the NEC of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide did not undertake any trip to the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Gov. Nyesom Wike, last week.

“We had made efforts in the past to seek an audience with the Governor of Rivers State. For over two years, the late President-General, I and other stakeholders had to engage with prominent Nigerians whose names I am not here to disclose.

“The last effort was a letter I delivered via DHL to the Governor on Jan. 18 this year, to among others, inform him that the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, High Chief Kroham Joel, had passed on.

“That his family had fixed a date for the funeral in his village in Ahoda West Local Government Area of Rivers State.

“I have not received any response to that letter till date,” he said.

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