There is anxiety in the South-East over the health of President General (PG) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Gary Enwo-Igariwey, who has been receiving medical attention abroad in the past three months.

Following ill-health, Igariwey was not able to attend the last Igbo Day celebration held at Ohanaeze Secretariat in Enugu on September 29 and was represented by the Deputy President General, Sir Ogochukwu Onyema.

At the event Onyema announced that the contentious tenure of the current leadership of Ohanaeze would finally come to an end in January next year and that the President General would constitute a transition committee as soon as he returns.

Anxiety has however continued to heighten in the South-East over the State of health of Igariwey whose return date remains uncertainty.

Some Igbo leaders who spoke to our correspondent on Wednesday said they were worried that a significant period of the transition has been lost, due to his absence.

One of the Igbo leaders said: “You know that before the 2015 elections, there were two factions in Ohanaeze Ndigbo, one led by Igariwey and the other led by Chief Ralph Obioha. The Obioha group was insisting that the tenure of Igariwey leadership had expired.

“Following the intervention of Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, there was an agreement that Igariwey leadership should leave by January 2017. By now, the transition period should have commenced and election should have been held by December, but you can see that nothing is happening now. We are concerned about the health of the President General but our worry is that if the election fails to hold by January, Ohanaeze may return to path of crisis.”

But, in a press statement in Enugu yesterday, Sir Ogochukwu Onyema, the Deputy President General, assured that the Election Committee of Ohanaeze would be set up as soon as the PG returns.

He said: “Please, be specifically informed that the Election Committee of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo organisation worldwide, will be set up as soon as my Principal (The President General) returns soonest, to resume duty. The President General, whom I am holding brief for, has maintained in my discussions with him, that the hand-over date of 12th January, 2016 is sacrosanct, and that OhanaezeNational Election will hold in January, 2017.

“Much as we have already lost a reasonable preparatory period for the election, aspirants are urged to exercise patience, as the Election committee will have at least the Month of November and December, 2016 to work with.

“We are aware that there are pockets of meetings and scheming from interested aspirants; it is a welcomed development. However, we advice all aspirants, and the members of the General Assembly of ‘Ohanaeze’, as well as some members of IMEOBI who are interested in sponsoring any particular aspirant, to please, conduct their activities in the most mature, and careful manner, so as not to subvert justice in any manner as to cause problem in Ohanaeze, and bring shame to Ndi Igbo.

“Rest assured, that nothing will be added or removed from the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Constitution (Reprinted 2015) which is our guiding principle in this transition period, till our election in January, 2017 and hand over on 12th day of January, 2017.”

The Ohanaeze number two man said the usual Imeobi and General Assembly meetings would be called before the election, when the Election Committee must have fashioned out the modalities and guidelines for the election in line with Ohanaeze Constitution, so that they would be briefed accordingly.

Onyema noted that the meetings would have been called much earlier, but it is only sensible and reasonable to call such meeting when there are presentations ready to be made by the Election Committee.

“We are not in a hurry to call these meetings until we are sure of meaningful issues about the transition, to convey to you. The only agenda before us now is transition/election to the new government of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo,” Onyema stated. (Independent)

•Photo shows Enwo-Igariwey.

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