PORT HARCOURT:
The Branch of the Ohaneze Ndigbo Social Cultural Organisation in Rivers State, the Indigenous Igbo Council, has threatened to pull out of the prestigious cultural group if the body deliberately continues to marginalize its body in the state.
IIC also vowed to threaten the forthcoming election of the body in which the Presidential slot is zoned to the state if people who are not registered members of the body in the area were not disqualified from contesting.
The Vice President of the IIC, Okere Azubuike, disclosed this during a press conference in Port Harcourt ahead of the Ohaneze NdiGbo election.
Speaking while fielding questions from pressmen in the state, Azubuike, said if the demands of the body that the Presidential and the Vice Presidential seats of the body be zoned to the state that the members of Ohaneze Ndibo in the state would pull out.
He said: “If our demands are not met, it might be difficult for us to unify the Igbos of Rivers State with the South-East brothers.
“So, if after going through our press conference today, they refuse to yield to our demands, we may likely distance ourselves from the election and whoever they force on us, because centrally, our demand is that they should allow Rivers people to decide who takes the lead in Ohaneze Ndigbo.”
Speaking further, President of IIC, Chimenu Amadi. noted that it is only those who are registered with the IIC that should be allowed to contest, claiming that Chief Mike Okiro, is not a registered member of the body in Rivers State, rather, Imo State and should be disqualified from contesting.
Amadi said: “As long as the Indigenous Igbo Council is concerned, we have a forum here in Rivers State. It is only those that are in our forum, that are registered members that we recognize and so far so good, we have all these contestants in the forum, they are members of IIC, except for the candidacy of Mike Okiro, who is not a member.
“And I don’t know why he’s not a member. If you are an indigenous Igbo of Rivers State, you should be a member of IIC. If you are not a member of IIC, what are you doing with the election of Rivers State.
