Congratulations To Ndigbo In Lagos State as Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos takes the association to greater heights
Prince Chukwuemeka S. Onuoha, Ugwu Mba 1 of Bende, Abia State is among one of the early people that started Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos. In this narrative with OpenLife Nigeria, the Prince explains the great efforts of Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos in putting the association on the path of prosperity and calls on everyone to support him
The reason for Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos to remain in office in the next four years is obvious.
Example of those who have stayed in office above one term are Chief Nathaniel Amechi Uzoma who was President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ekiti State from 2010 to 2014 and from 2014 to 2018; Chief Thompson Chinenyeeze Ohia, secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos 2005 to 2009 under Chief John Nzewi and 2009 to 2013 under Sir Oliver Akubueze and Marcus Agugbataofia who was Vice President for Enugu State from 2009 to 2013 under Sir Oliver Akubueze and again from 2013 to 2018 under Barrister Fabian Onwughalu, including Chief Boniface Okoye {Bontex} chairman of Ojo from 2013 to 2018 under Barrister Fabian Onwughalu, and 2018 to 2022 under Chief Solomon Ogbonna and so many other examples.
These are examples of those that have stayed two terms in their positions. It was achieved by the general assembly through majority votes which say ‘Yes’ at the meeting hall.
So, what are we talking about?
Some of us who are ignorant about Ohanaeze should go home with this vital information for others to learn.
Anyway, it is just those who came into Ohanaeze few months ago and are not knowledgeable about the history of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
We must stop deceiving ourselves especially as we are pursuing our unity to have our rightful position in Nigeria because no doubt Ndigbos are contributing so much to the development of Nigeria and other areas of endeavours.
Truth and unity will liberate us from disunity and not blackmailing against anyone.
Even though it is not in the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo but the President uses the chairmen to co ordinate members at local government level just like other committees set by any of the presidents to help his regime.
As earlier mentioned, chairmen forum is not in the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. That is why the President uses his position to appoint any of the chairmen as general chairman for all the chairmen in all local government areas of the state including LCDA to report to him directly.
However, on June 16, 2018 when Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene emerged as President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State, it was indeed, the first time an Ebonyi State man would occupy the position despite the fact that the founder of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Akanu Ibian is from Ebonyi State ably encouraged by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe for the association to start as Nigeria dismissed Igbo union immediately after Biafra war .
Since he assumed office, the young man, Chief Solomon Ogbonna, has changed Ohanaeze Ndigbo to an amiable height. We must support him because he is laying a foundation which must be concretized before other layers of improvements are added.
His efforts have attracted numerous members, men and women of integrity.
Today, the Lagos Ohanaeze local government election is attracting million of people’s interests more than any Ohanaeze State election in the past 20 years.
This information is exclusively for those who live by blackmailing other people including those who listen to them.
At the moment, the 20 local government’s elections and 37 LCDAs have proved those enemies of Ndigbo wrong.
Interestingly, it shows that no president of any state has done better than Chief Solomon for the few months they allowed him to exercise his ability in leadership. That does not mean other presidents have not done well. But in every two, there is always first and best.
However and unknown to many people including many financial members of Ohanaeze both in Lagos and Enugu headquarters, since Chief Solomon emerged in 2018 as President Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, he has been in court with a group that is also known as Ohanaeze members. Their intention is to take his position.
They inaugurated their president the same period Chief Solomon was inaugurated.
And the purpose has been that if they win the case which is in Lagos High Court, Ikeja, Chief Solomon will vacate the office because he was the only executive in Lagos whose name was on the complainant list which appears in all the files in the court.
There are other names in the suit which included the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo world wide, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, who ignited the trouble in Lagos Ohanaeze by conducting the election outside Lagos bye law that have been in use for the past 20 years to conduct Lagos election.
As the case was going on, they removed every other defenders’ name including Nnia Nwodo and their conclusion was that Nwodo is in Enugu and they are in Lagos where their interest is and they must get judgment against Chief Solomon Ogbonna.
Their first president was Nnamdi Nwaigwe, {Odejiji} and they distracted over 85 percent of the activities of Chief Solomon Ogbonna.
For example, one, among the hundreds of activities, that was distracted was the Igbo day festival. The festival is celebrated once every year and always anchored by the President of Ohanaeze any where Igbo people reside in the world and have Ohanaeze Ndigbo as their umbrella association.
Chief Solomon could only manage to do it twice. The first was in 2019 at the National Stadium, Surulere and the second was in 2022 at Police College, Ikeja which attracted many personalities including former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Florence Ita Giwa and so many others.
Chief Solomon would have been able to celebrate Igbo day festival every year In Lagos if they had allowed him to perform as elected president of Ohanaeze.
This is one, among the hundreds of activities, that Chief Solomon could not do in this tenure.
All these are facts which no one can contest. After two years, this group had problem with their first President, Nnamdi Nwaigwe, {Odejiji}
They removed him and replaced him with Colonel Reuben Nwako, Ret’d.
After about a year, the governor of Lagos, His Excellency Babajide Sanwo Olu and Oba of Ikorodu, His Royal Majesty, Kabiru Adewale Shotobi Ayangburen have to intervene for Colonel Nwako,Ret’d, to allow President Solomon Ogbonna Aguene to operate.
This was because even the governor and other politicians in office and some individuals especially those who are not of Igbo extraction were confused about the real President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos.
These two presidents, Nnamdi Nwaigwe, {Odejiji}
and Colonel Reuben Nwako, ret’d are all from Anambra State and we know how powerful Anambra people are especially a retired soldier like Colonel Nwako from the same village with ex governor Peter Obi and Chike Akunyili, Dora Akunyili’s husband.
Colonel Nwako has a title- Omobowale of Ikorodu- given to him by Oba of Ikorodu land which simply means that you must see him as Igbo man if you want to do anything with the Oba.
They really disrupted the Chief Solomon’s regime. The distractions continued.
All these problems that chief Solomon has been encountering in Ohanaeze as president emanated from the problem of this group.
And the mastermind of the court action was the immediate past president, Barrister Fabian Onwughalu. This was because he felt cheated and also had his reason for Nnai Nwodo who went against Lagos bye law which has been governing Ohanaeze for over 20 years.
Now, the trouble is on the ground. Where is Nnia Nwodo? Does he live in Lagos? No.
Another big distraction pulled against President Solomon Ogbonna was when he raised the hand of Babajide Sanwo Olu at Alaba international market for Ndigbo to support him during his campaign for governor in 2019.
Simply because he did not want Ndigbo to be in opposition of the government of the day, few member of Enugu complained so much about him. Meanwhile, they were busy chasing Atiku Abubakar who was vying for presidency.
Such action, I believe, was borne out of jealousy.
However, that single act of President Solomon has brought Ndigbo closer to Lagos State government which has never happened.
So, we must appreciate Chief Solomon because he is a man of wisdom with grace of God.
As a mature mind with wisdom, Chief Solomon tried everything possible to bring this group who took him to court for peace talk especially as they are financial members and some of them are stakeholders of Ohanaeze, not minding all the insults and humiliation he was passing through in the hands of this group.
He did everything possible to bring others yet the case is still in court until all these group agree and accept that they have really messed up his four years tenure.
The party agrees for settlement in the court after giving all their conditions that as he is going to start all the tenure they have messed up, he will carry everybody along and he has accepted their conditions especially as his name is the only one in the suit.
According to him, he wants the peace and unity of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to be restored back.
So, some Ohanaeze members and those who said there is no 2nd tenure in office are those who came into Ohananeze as financial members few months ago.
You can have 2nd tenure through the resolution of the general house if you do very well and the vote of confidence must be through the general assembly with more than 60 percent.
President Solomon has no problem with anybody even though so much troubles have been heaped on his way, the first being that he is an Ebonyi man which is a minority compared to other states that have dominated in Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
But his good work has made him outstanding among others.
Example, we all know what happened to former governor Chris Ngige and Peter Obi and the recent one involving Hope Odidika Uzodinma and Emeka Ihedioha.
When Peter Obi won his case in the law court at that time, he had to start afresh from where his opponent started including Hope Uzordima of Imo State and Emeka Ihedioha and so many other cases that are of the same result.
Besides, what caused the problem of Ohanaeze Ndigbo of Lagos State was when Enugu headquarters nullified a free and fair election conducted by the immediate past president, Barrister Fabian Onwughalu.
Under the constitutional, it is Lagos bye law that would be used to conduct election in Lagos State by the current president of Ohanaeze Lagos towards the end of his tenure so that he can hand over all the files to his successor.
The bye law was in the hand of Enugu headquarter for two years to vet and approve it which they did. And the bye law has been used to conduct Lagos election by the past five president of Ohanaeze while Chief Solomon is the 6th one.
All these are the reasons Chief Solomon insists that he will be the one to conduct Lagos state local government election.
I can now agree with Chief Solomon why he insists that he will conduct the local government election because he was just in that office suffering to serve Ndigbo and he was not given a breathing space to work as elected president.
So, I thank the Almighty God and the court whom see justice as the only way to move forward.
We must allow him to work if not, it would become more opportunity for him to even spend eight years or more depending when the court gives another judgment.
My brothers and sisters, we must support Chief Solomon Ogbonna, President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. He is a tested and confirmed leader.
We must know that if you are not a lawyer, you can also hire a lawyer.
Above all, there is no allocation from Enugu to any chapters rather the states contribute to Enugu if there is need and Enugu can not come here to rule us.
Instead, they will be there watching us fighting on the platform but court judgment is more than platform. You cannot toil with court judgment if you love yourself but you can go to court if you want. But you must get judgment because there is no faction in court judgment
Anyway, there is nothing to worry about. Professor George Obiozor, President General World wide, Ohanaeze Ndigbo knows what the judgments of the court are about.
I am very happy for Chief Solomon. He is a born leader with wisdom.
If you are defeated in any contest, the best is for you to congratulate your opponent as a child of God.
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