Fresh crisis is currently brewing among the leadership of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo over what an inside source say was a fall-out of N40 million allegedly received from both President Goodluck Jonathan and Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah.
The crisis, according to the source, became manifested after the leadership of the group returned from a secret visit to President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.
The source, himself a prominent member of the group, alleged that the delegation received N30m from the Presidency and another N10m from the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, claiming that the Oduah’s largesse was a pay back for the group’s solidarity for the minister during her ordeal over the N255m bulletproof car scandal.
“The cash gift of N40m, which is calculated at supporting President Jonathan for the 2015 election, sparked off the crisis. The whole fight got to the peak when leaders of Ohanaeze excluded our youths from the sharing formula.
“Some very strong members of ours are pushing for a split and that could happen by the first or second week of January,” the source said.
As the events unfold, another Igbo group, the Concerned Igbo Patriots, CIP, has also alleged that the current leadership of the Ohanaeze with the secret visit to Aso Rock, might have started trading with Ndigbo interest like their predecessors did in the run-up to 2011 elections.
The CIP argued that the delegation to Aso Rock was a faction of Ohanaeze under Gary Igariwe, just as it kicked against Eze Cletus Ilomuanya leading Igbo traditional rulers to such a meeting.
The CIP leader said, “They will sell Ndigbo as Ralph Uwechue did. Prof. Ben Nwabueze is the Igbo spokesman for the National Conference.”
However, Secretary General of the Ohanaeze, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, dismissed the alleged cash gifts to the delegation as “a fabrication by faceless scary minds, which should not command my comment.”