August 08, (THEWILL) – The pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has renounced Mr Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, as the national leader of its youth wing.
Ohanaeze, in a press statement issued on Wednesday, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, said Okpalaezeukwu, the erstwhile acting national youth leader, has been directed to revert to his position as the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing.
According to the release, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohanaeze was astonished that even after Okpalaezeukwu had been relieved of the position of the acting national youth leader, he was still parading himself as such.
The statement reads, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide wishes to inform the general public that Mr Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, the erstwhile acting National Youth Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has long been directed to revert to his position as the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Youth Wing. The directive was contained in a letter to Okpalaezeukwu, dated July 24, 2024, by Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“In asking Okpalaezeukwu to revert to his position, Emuchay admonished: “You are aware that there exist positions above you in the hierarchy of the organisation but you were granted a privilege to act as the Youth Leader for several months.
“It is worthy of note that, earlier before the letter to Okpalaezeukwu, the former President-General, Chief Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, MFR; OFR; CFR; FNICE; FNSE; FNIST; KSG (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo), had written a letter of reinstatement as the National Youth Leader to Engr. Damian Okafor, after an official visit to Ebonyi State. The NEC of Ohanaeze was also briefed.
“On July 30, 2024, Okpalaezeukwu, in a combined character of a wounded lion and a bull in the China shop, invaded the National Headquarters of Ohanaeze Ndigbo with thugs. The hoodlums hit and maimed all that stood their way. Above all, Okpalaezeukwu and his misadventurers destroyed and desecrated everything that is held sacred in the Ohanaeze Secretariat.
“His anger is a delusion and a wild misconception that he will act as a youth leader in perpetuity. Such unruly, unscrupulous, despicable, odious and sacrilegious conduct by Okpalaezeukwu has been reported to His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, CON, the Governor of Imo State and the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum; his host Governor, His Excellency, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, the Governor of Anambra State; the Enugu State Director, Department of State Services, and the Enugu State Police Command, among others.
“Most unfortunately, Okpalaezeukwu has defiantly continued to parade himself, falsely and conceitedly, as the Acting National Youth Leader.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Youth Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is Engr. Damian Okafor. Okafor emerged through a democratic process on Thursday, August 5, 2021. The election that produced Okafor was keenly contested. The election commenced with the accreditation of delegates from the seven Igbo-speaking states of Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers states. Okafor, who hails from Ebonyi State, defeated 3 contestants to emerge as the National Youth Leader in the peaceful election.
“However, there was a rift amongst the Youths which dragged on for a long time. In 2023, the touths appointed an acting Youth Leader in the person of Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu from Anambra State. The NEC, which was led by Chief Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, adopted Okpalaezeukwu with a caveat that he was to act, pending when the rift in the youth wing was settled.
“And like the power to a Lucifer, to reign in on Okpalaezeukwu has remained a huge challenge, even after the highest authority of Ohanaeze has directed Okpalaezeukwu to revert to his former position.
“Although it is highly regrettable to have a new entrant amongst the fraudsters, charlatans, impersonators and mischief makers who ride on the invaluable footprints of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to defraud the unsuspecting public, the fact remains that the fatherliness, latitude and leniency of the former Ohanaeze leaders towards such social deviants cannot be sustained.
“The Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR and the NEC, therefore, alert the unsuspecting public that Mr. Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu has been declared a persona non grata; unfaithful, unworthy, unfit and maladjusted to the core values of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. The general public are, by this press release, advised to distance themselves from Mr. Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu on issues pertaining to Ohanaeze in their own interest.”
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
