Crises rocks Ohaneze Ndigbo as youth and women wings say they have suspended its president Nwodo

PAN-Igbo cultural organisation Ohaneze Ndigbo is facing a fresh crisis after the body's youth and women's wings announced the suspension of its president Chief Nina Nwodo claiming he was running things like a one-man show.

Yesterday in Enugu, the two wings of Ohaneze Ndigbo announced their decision following proposed plans by Ohaneze Ndigbo's national executive council to conduct elections into executive positions of the youth and women wings. Chief Nwodo's executive committee is insisting that the Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro-led youth wing has been disbanded by Ime-Obi, Ohanaeze’s highest decision making organ, in 2016 while the tenure of the women wing expired in 2017.

It appears that the two wings are incensed by this decision and as such have acted to unilaterally suspend Chief Nwodo.  Before announcing Chief Nwodo’s suspension over the weekend, the Ohanaeze Youth Council had, on April 2 passed a vote of no confidence in him and demanded his appearance before a disciplinary committee over a number of allegations levelled against him.

Among other things, the Ohanaeze youth wing led by Mr Isiguzoro, accused Chief Nwodo of running the apex Igbo socio-political body as a one-man show. Claiming that Chief Nwodo was parading himself as a generalisimo, they alleged that the former minister was using the office to further his political ambition.

Also, the Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC) insinuated that Chief Nwodo was working for the presidential ambition of a former vice president Atiku Abubakar, for whom, they claimed, he was positioning one of his brothers as a running mate. They equally accused Chief Nwodo of illegality, noting that, contrary to the rules of the organisation, he was using  a Forum of States’ Presidents to override the Ohanaeze national executive committee.

Mr Isiguzoro said: “Nwodo has closed down the publicity department of Ohanaeze by not giving it the liberty which the spokesman for Afenifere enjoys. Rather he is now the president-general and the publicity secretary, using his media aide against the official spokesmen of Ohanaeze Ndigbo."

In response, Chief Nwodo, said Ohaneze Ndigbo's youth wing had no leadership for now and so, could not have served a vote of no confidence on him. He added that the OYC executive committee had long been disbanded by Ime-Obi, the highest decision-making body of Ohanaeze.

Chief Nwodo said: “For the avoidance of doubt, while the leadership of the Ohanaeze youth wing was dissolved in 2016, by the Ime-Obi and the national executive council of Ohanaeze, while the tenure of the women wing expired with the last executive in 2017, thereby making both of them defunct. The national executive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo exists at the instance of the general assembly which hasn’t passed a vote of no confidence in it.”

Ohaneze Ndigbo's constitution prohibits its president from participating in party politics. Chief Nwodo said it is thus preposterous to imagine he could romance any political aspirant, let alone determine his choice of a running mate.