The Governor of Ebonyi and Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum, David Nweze Umahi says the purported suspension of the National Youth Leader of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Comrade Damian Okafor is illegal and unconstitutional.
This is as a leader of the youth Wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation has accused Umahi of sowing discord in the organisation for the purported presidential aambitions.
Governor Umahi swhile playing host to the Youth Wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide at his Office, new Government House, Ochoudo Centenary City, Abakaliki on MMonday, said that it was illogical for a group of persons to have alleged to have suspended the Ebonyi State representative in the Body that was duly elected by the National Executive Council.
“I learned of what was happening when some people came together and said they have suspended the National Youth Leader of Ohaneze, for me, it is not correct and it is not something anybody should give any attention to, the Constitution is there, you were elected by NEC and it is only NEC that can suspend you.
“Ohaneze Ndigbo should not be politically motivated and we stand against that. Defend the course of Ndigbo, because you have PDP members and you have APC members, the moment you start defending one person, then you are now partisan and it is not right.
“Nobody can remove any officer that is zoned to Ebonyi and elected by the NEC, nobody, even if the Youth Leader is standing alone, even if this wonderful men and women are not supporting, he remains the Youth Leader and nobody can remove him from office.
He commended the Youth Wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Comrade Damian Okafor and urged them to lend their voice to the Igbo course in 2023.
“I want you to note it and note It very well because I will also not allow you to downgrade the status of Ohaneze, you people should not attack the leaders, it is only when people are attacking the course of Ndigbo, then you have to respond and defend that.
“Let us just be decent by our cultural values to do things very decently and please be the youth Leader to APGA States, PDP States, and the APC States.”
But Onwuasonya Jones a leader of Ohanaeze Youths said Umahi is sponsoring division in Igbo land.
Jones in a statement titled” GOVERNOR DAVID UMAHI CANNOT BECOME NIGERIAN PRESIDENT BY SPONSORING DIVISION IN ALA IGBO, PROMOTING ILLEGALITY AND FUNDING INCOMPETENCE’, said it was unfortunate that Governor Umahi “in a desperate bid to sustain an alleged promise made to him by some members of the cabal to make him the next President of Nigeria, has taken to another level, his devious intentions to sponsor division in Ala Igbo, and desecrate some of our most sacred institutions, including the apex sociocultural organization of Ndigbo; the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, especially, its youth wing.
“Over the weeks since a certain Umahi boy was suspended over issues bordering on incompetence, corruption, etc, Umahi, who by his recent diatribe against the apex Igbo youth leadership organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide-Youth Wing, has cleared every doubts about the suspicion that he has been behind, and in fact, funded the divisive, irresponsible and desperate rhetoric of some supposed Ohanaeze chieftains, from Ebonyi State, including the State President, whose initial reaction to Umahi’s boy’s suspension, was to claim on video that other Igbo States held Ebonyi in disdain.
“This same State President of Ebonyi, apparently on the instruction of his governor was behind a piece of badly written article, accusing Ndi Anambra and the rest of Ndigbo of harbouring some natural hate against Ndi Ebonyi, and as well creating all kinds of laughable imaginative narratives, as to why that Umahi’s boy was suspended. This was after the same Umahi boy had accepted guilt on all allegations leading to his suspension.
“I had wanted to continue pretending to be a gentleman, because it is about Ohanaeze Ndigbo, but I have been compelled by Governor Umahi’s affront on the entire Igbo leadership setup to make this preliminary reaction to the unfortunate advertisement of his ignorance, both about the Constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and the universal rules on Due Process.
“For the avoidance of any doubts, that Umahi’s boy, whom he hosted with some members of the National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide-Youth Wing, is suspended and remains suspended. In fact, the young man understands these things better than our dear Governor Umahi, his boss, hence, his acceptance, though belated, of the suspension and owning up to all the allegations against him.
“I do not begrudge the Ebonyi governor of his right to seek to become the President of Nigeria, in fact, I believe, he is eminently qualified, just like millions of Igbos, but I can assure him that his activities in Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide-Youth Wing would, instead of enhancing his chances at that prospects, dampen it.
“It is ludicrous that a governor of a State in Nigeria would openly lend credence to a group of impostors whose major motivation for making that move to Abakaliki is the alleged 250,000 Naira transportation fare given to each of them. If Governor Umahi merits the ‘Excellency’ title that is usually prefixes his name, he would have asked his guests, how they couldn’t get a simple majority of NEC members to make that visit to his office.
“It smacks of reproachful desperation for a governor who doubles as the Chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum to host eleven of a 24 member National Executive Committee of the youth wing of the apex Igbo sociocultural organization. A direct interpretation of this reality is that while Governor Umahi is leaving no stone unturned in his desperation to convey the impression that he is popular among the Igbos, he has through this singular action shown, that even among the Igbos, he is in the minority and he is an enabler of illegality and impunity.
“If as governor, the civil Engineer could go to the ignoble extent of sponsoring internal divisions within an organization as reputable as Ohanaeze, including, inducing his stooges in Ohanaeze NEC to threaten to pull out of Ohanaeze, which could be directly interpreted as denouncing their Igboness, just because he wants to be the one to take the slot of Ndigbo, when, as we pray, the presidency is zoned to the Southeast in 2023, then, there is no guarantee that he wouldn’t become one of the worst bigots to have ruled Nigeria in it’s history should he by any chance be elected President.
“Sadly, the young man he allegedly uses State funds to attempt to force down the throats of millions of Igbo youths is one of the most incorrigible charlatans to have been elected into public office. And by this his boy’s own documented admission, he is guilty of all the offences for which he was suspended. One expected Governor Umahi to have chided the young man, sponsored him for a crash course on basic leadership skills and possibly put him through some experimental responsibilities. His insistence on foisting this young man on Igbo youths, among other things, give him out as one who has the least respect for Igbo youths.
“Maybe, some people have made Governor Umahi to believe that he could pocket Ohanaeze, because his pocket is deep enough, but, he could pocket the stooges he pays to sing his praises, but certainly, not Ohanaeze. If Governor loves this his boy so much, let him make him the youth leader of the Umahi Campaign Organization and not pretending thar he could be the Leader of all Igbo youths worldwide.
“Governor Umahi could buy a few Igbo youths with 50,000 Naira or even 500,000 to attempt to trump due processes and legality, but certainly, not half of Igbo youths are that cheap to be bought over, even with the deliberate policies aimed at impoverishing the greatest number of the youths, so that they would be available to sing their praises and do other dirty jobs for them. Millions of Igbo youths will hold their heads highly and tell Umahi and his fellow slave drivers that without them, the youths will still survive”.
