The Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo has reiterated that the only recognized leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, rejecting the claims of Simon Ekpa.
This statement came from the Vice President of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, during a press conference held on Saturday.
Chief Okeke-Ogene expressed the group’s stance on the IPOB leadership, saying, “All these emergency leaders emerging here and there have not come to our notice. Sometimes, when you listen to Nnamdi Kanu, we still support him and believe that if he is released, he will tell us who his boys are, because it is not a one-man movement, we still interact with him, and he is part and parcel of us. He is an Igbo son.”
He further dismissed Simon Ekpa’s association with IPOB, stating, “This issue of Simon Ekpa is unknown to me and to Ohaneze Ndigbo. What we are concerned about is the release of Nnamdi Kanu, and if he is released, it would help us in Igbo land a great deal.”
According to Okeke-Ogene, the only IPOB recognized by Ohaneze is the one led by Nnamdi Kanu, not the one portrayed by Ekpa.The Ohaneze leader criticized Ekpa, who has described himself as a content creator. “Simon Ekpa says he is a content creator, so how can we take him seriously? He should go to Nollywood and deceive people. We look at Simon Ekpa as a Nollywood star, as he claims, and it is only in Nollywood that we see content creators,” Okeke-Ogene remarked.
In addition, Chief Okeke-Ogene addressed concerns over a perceived leadership crisis within Ohaneze Ndi Igbo following the death of its late President, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
He firmly stated that there was no such crisis, emphasizing that the leadership transition process was intact. “We insist that the next Ohaneze president will come from Imo State in order to complete the slot allocated to the state,” he declared, underlining that leadership positions within the organization are zoned to specific states.
The Vice President also acknowledged the vacuum left by Chief Iwuanyanwu’s death, but reassured that Ohaneze Ndi Igbo remains strong and united. “The Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, as an institution of repute, remains intact and undivided,” he affirmed.
Furthermore, Okeke-Ogene called on the Southeast governors to collaborate more closely to improve security measures and enhance crime-fighting efficiency in the region.
He urged greater coordination to ensure that sustainable security solutions are implemented across the Southeast
