The Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, has allegedly withdrawn the registration of the splinter group of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, saying it has not fulfilled all the requirements for registration.

The traditional ruler of Igbariam in Anambra East local government area of Anambra State, Igwe Nkeli Nzekwe had made waves over the weekend after inaugurating a splinter group of Ohanaeze, making Basil Onyeachonam as the president general of Ohanaeze Worldwide, with himself as the chairman of Board of Trustees, BoT, adding that all those holding offices in Ohanaeze before the inauguration had ceased to function in those offices.

President General of the splinter group, Onyeachonam said the group’s major assignment is to ensure that the president of Nigeria in 2023 should come from Igbo land and warned that the Igbo might resort to self-help in handling insecurity in the area due to the activities of killer herdsmen.

He said: “I make bold to say that come 2023, an Igbo man will be elected as the president of Nigeria. The unity of Ndigbo is paramount and sacrosanct in actualizing Igbo presidency in 2023.

We are confronted with routes leading to diverse goals, but as we see it, there is only one road that we can safely recommend for us to tread and it is the unity of Nigeria and Igbo presidency in 2023.

We need peace and security in Igboland and Nigeria at large; we need development, empowerment of Ndigbo in strategic government positions, we need equitable distribution of national resources and national development projects in Igboland.

We want the Federal Government of Nigeria to equitably address the genuine agitations of our people.

The president must sit up to the current security challenges in Igboland, to dissuade our people from inevitable self-help.

However, confusion trailed yesterday the alleged withdrawal of the registration granted the group by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.

A statement by the commission, which is circulating in the social media read:

This is to inform the general public that the certificate of registration No. IT 1444918 issued inadvertently to the Trustees of OHANEZE NDIGBO GENERAL ASSEMBLY has been withdrawn by the Corporate Affairs Commission.

The Trustees of the Association have been advised to return the said certificate to the commission as same has been cancelled. The conditions for the issuance of the certificate have not been fully fulfilled.

However, the chairman of the splinter group of Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly, Mr. Basil Onyeachonam is still talking tough against the leadership of Chief Nnia Nwodo –led apex Igbo socio –cultural organization, telling the federal government to address genuine agitations of Ndi Igbo.

CAC should withdraw ‘erroneous’ Ohanaeze certificate — Ibegbu Reacting to the deregisteration of the splinter group, Deputy Publicly Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mr. Chuks Ibegbu said the main stream Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo was in support of the move by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, to withdraw the certificate of incorporation erroneously issued to the individuals.

According to Ibegbu, the certificate should be withdrawn because it was illegally registered and should be probed. He said:

There are due process to register such an organisation and it was not followed. The circumstance that led to the registration should be probed. Something must have gone wrong in CAC. I think that the enemies of Ndigbo are at work.

These chaps are enemies of Ndigbo and desperadoes. They should be arrested for impersonation.

Ohanaeze leadership under Nwodo is intact. There is no crack whatsoever. Enemies of Ndigbo are behind this and we shall soon unmask them.

Can this kind of thing happen in the North or West? I doubt it. We must punish Igbo black legs and sell outs. We cannot tolerate this treachery any further.

We’re intact, disregard fake news — New Ohanaeze
But in a counter reaction, the splinter group of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has urged members of the public and Ndigbo to disregard reports that its registration certificate had been withdrawn by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.

Dismissing the reports as fake news, Publicity Secretary of the new group, Sir Chimzobam Nnalue, said the letter was not from the CAC, adding that the group is intact at CAC’s portal.

He said in a statement:

The general public is hereby informed to disregard the fake news being circulated on facebook by some paid agents claiming that our CAC certificate has been withdrawn. The letter is not from the CAC The newly registered Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Barr Onyeachonam is intact at the CAC portal.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.