N403m presidential election largesse tears Ohaneze Ndi Igbo apart

… Faction impeaches Onwughalu for diverting funds

By IFEOMA IKEM

The pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, has been thrown into monumental crisis in its Lagos State chapter over alleged diversion of over N400 million former President Goodluck Jonathan purportedly gave the group for support during the 2015 elections, in addition to the N3 million former Theodora Orji of Abia State also donated.

Leader of the group in Lagos, Barrister Fabian Onwughalu, has been under inferno for the alleged diversion of the said N403 million.

In a communique signed by the Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, Deputy State Secretary, Dr. Christopher Njoku, the group affirmed the vote of no confidence passed on Onwughalu on May 13, 2016, and his subsequent impeachment by the General Assembly.

Njoku further alleged that the impeachment of Onwughalu was to avert imminent collapse of the organisation due to Onwughalu’s “unconstitutional and irresponsible conduct.” While ratifying Onwughalu’s impeachment, the group appointed Dr. Femi Ferguson, as their acting President to complete the tenure of Onwughalu, pending the conduct of election in 2017.

In the communiqué, Onwughalu was warned to stop parading himself as the chapter’s president as any pact he enters into would be null and void.

Earlier at their General Assembly meeting held at AP Club, Alagomeji in Yaba, Lagos, the immediate past president of the group, Chief Oliver Akubueze, and Ohanaeze electoral chairman, Chief Tony Ezeh, had while enumerating the offence of Onwughalu, alleged that besides running the affairs of the group like his private company, declaring that, “Fabian Onwughalu has failed to give account of the N3million given to Ohanaeze by former Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodora Orij. “

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“He is yet to account for the N50 million given to us by the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. He collected the sum of N24 million from NIMASA on our behalf before the presidential election. The sum of $US100,000 from abroad was also diverted,” Ezeh stated.

Ezeh also alleged that Onwughalu collected N100,000 from a contestant to vacate a seat after he usurped all functions of other elected executive members .

However in a swift reaction, Onwughula, in an interview with National Daily, denied all allegations against him by the other factional leaders, describing them as prodigal sons of Igbo land.

He accused Akubueze and Eze Uche Dimgba of being behind the crisis, noting that their impeachment was unconstitutional, hence lacked merit. He claimed to have the support of over 75 per cent of the cabinet still behind him. Onwughalu, who also stated that Ohanaeze national executive office, Enugu, is still recognizing him as Lagos State chapter president, declared:

Chief Oliver had sworn to cause crisis for me since his preferred candidate lost in the election that brought me into the office. He is now working with some sacked officers and some disgruntled elements to cause this trouble. How can they impeach me, the vice president, who is to call for such meeting is still with me. In fact, I have over 75 per cent of the executive behind me. The man they are calling their acting president, by his name, is not even an Igbo man. The greater number of the Ezeh`s are behind me.”

Onwughalu noted that he received the allegations through a text message, which he said, was the handiwork of his sacked secretary, Azubuike, who he admitted had earlier dragged him to court.