The counsel for Ohaneze Ndigbo General Assembly, recently registered by the Corporal Affairs Commission, Amobi Nzelu, has called for the arrest of the outgoing President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo and other principal officers of the Igbo apex sociocultural organisation, past and present for allegedly running organisation illegally.
He also petitioned the police, Department of Security Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, demanding the suspension of the forthcoming election of the Chief John Nnia Nwodo-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo slated for January, 2021.
In a petition made available to our correspondent in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday, Nzelu called for the disbandment of the said Ohanaeze Ndigbo, claiming to be the authentic body permitted by law to run the affairs of Ndigbo as a sociocultural group.
He also demanded Investigation of the accounts and activities of the body and all monies collected from individuals, governors and highly exposed political personalities.
Their petition was copied to various security agencies and state governors of seven states that are enrolled in Ohaneze activities: Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Rivers.
The petition partly read, “For proper appreciation of the issues to be canvassed in this letter, it will be appropriate to state briefly the facts of this case to enable you (IGP and others) to be in a comfortable if not confident position to decisively act on this matter.
“Our client is registered under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act and issued with Certificate of Incorporation No. 144918 on the 28th day of February, 2020 by the CAC .
” By virtue of the incorporation of our client, it is now saddled with the responsibility of piloting the affairs of Igbo as contained in the Articles and Memorandum of Association filed at the CAC on their behalf.
“For more than two decades, people of Igbo extraction branded themselves as “Ohanaeze Ndigbo” and this group or association at various times have been led by prominent people in some of the states that constitute Igbo speaking areas.
“However, it has been discovered that the said “Ohanaeze Ndigbo” now being led by Chief Nnia Nwodo was not duly registered in accordance with the extant provisions of the law nor was any Article and Memorandum of Association defining or circumscribing their functions filed and registered on their behalf with the relevant authorities.
“The only import from the evolving scenario or better still the only inference to be drawn is that “Ohanaeze Ndigbo” being led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo is not a registered organization and as such is an illegal association and cannot transact any business they are transacting now.
‘”Ohanaeze Ndigbo” led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo has no certificate of incorporation and as such is an entity unknown to law. The only reasonable deduction for the group being unregistered is that it is an illegal body and all her activities null and void.”
The petition added, “Stop “Ohanaeze Ndigbo” being led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo from conducting any election whatsoever into the offices of the illegal association in any of the states of the federation since the association is an illegal body.
“Investigate the accounts and activities of Ohanaeze Ndigbo being led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo and all monies collected from individuals, governors and Highly exposed political personalities.
“Arrest, interrogate and prosecute the principal officers of the said Ohanaeze Ndigbo present and past, for running an illegal association.
“Disband the said Ohanaeze Ndigbo being led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo as being illegal.
“It’s our humble view that it amounts to passing off or impersonation, breach of the extant provisions of the law or/invitation to anarchy to allow Chief John Nnia Nwodo led group of Ohanaeze Indigbo to continue to operate in the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo without any certificate of incorporation from the corporate affairs Commission nor any enabling known to law enactment establishing its existence and operations.
“We attach to this letter the documents by the simple maxim that “evidence settles argument”‘.
