Leadership crisis threatens Igbo day celebration in Bayelsa

The lingering leadership tussle rocking the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo in Bayelsa State, may snowball into a major crisis, as its youth wing has asked Chinedu Amaku, to stop parading himself as president.

President of the youth wing of the organisation, Arthur Chinedu-Ugwa, who spoke with newsmen in Bayelsa, insisted that the Mac Ilem-led committee remained the authentic leader and acting-president in Bayelsa.

Brandishing documents to buttress his point, Arthur said the election that brought in the Amaku led executives was null and void, which led to the setting up of a committee by the national body, where Mac Ilem was made the Acting President.

He faulted a report in the media credited to the Commandant of Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in the state, Desmond Agu, who declared that there was no crisis in the group and that the crisis had been settled.

Arthur said although there was a peace talk, which was brokered by the security agencies in the state, the issue was not properly handled, saying that there is yet no Ohaneze President in Bayelsa chapter due to the way the election that brought in Amaku was conducted.

“Yes, we have no leadership crisis in Ohaneze Ndigbo in Bayelsa, because the national leadership has insisted that the state chapter must work with the Mac Ilem- led six-man committee set up by the National President, Nnia Nwodo.

“We will work with the Ilem committee, but we are surprised by Agu, who insisted that we work with the illegal body, which is contrary the position of the national body,” he said.

On the Igbo day, he said, “Bayelsa State Ohanaeze Ndigbo will be part of this historic event, the Acting President and Caretaker Committee Chairman, Mac Ilem, will communicate to Ndigbo in Bayelsa State on how the programme will be, soon after NEC meeting in Enugu next Tuesday.”

He, however, urged the Igbo not to pay any money to anybody or group for Igbo day celebration in the state.

He also hinted that there might be no celebration in Bayelsa because of some pending issues that had to do with the killing of an Ijaw girl by an Igbo man at Biogbolo, a suburb of Yenagoa earlier in the year.