Elder statesman Chike Obidigbo has addressed the controversy surrounding the emergence of an Ikwerre indigene as the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has consistently maintained that he is not Igbo. However, the current President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, an Ikwerre indigene, recently affirmed his Igbo origin, refusing to deny it for political reasons.
In an interview with Daily Post, Obidigbo clarified that before the Biafra civil war, Igbos predominantly occupied Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
Addressing the debate, he criticized those disowning their Igbo identity, labeling them as “cowards” driven by fear of political consequences.
“The Ikwerre have always been part of the Igbo. They have never denied their Igboness,” Obidigbo stated. “Even in the Opobo area, where the current Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara comes from, they acknowledge their Igbo heritage. They speak Igbo, they are Igbo.”
Taking a swipe at Wike, Obidigbo remarked: “If Wike insists he is not Igbo, then he can belong wherever he wants. But if Mbata, an Ikwerre indigene, identifies as Igbo and the Ohanaeze presidency is being rotated, then Rivers State producing the president is legitimate.”
He further stressed that those rejecting their Igbo identity do so out of fear of losing political benefits. “It is not enough reason to deny your own people,” he concluded.
