TRADING activities by Igbos resident in Ibadan, Oyo State, were brought to a halt on Saturday, 8 May, 2010, when members of Igbo Traders Association decided to lock up their shops at Iwo Road, Salvation Army, Aleshinloye, Dugbe, Queens Cinema and other areas of the city between 9 a.m and 12 noon.

The reason behind the step taken was not far-fetched. That day was the day that had been scheduled for the election of Onyendu Ndi Igbo in Oyo State, and the traders’ association’s action was aimed at putting in every effort that would ensure huge participation and success of the election.

By 9 a.m, which was the time scheduled for the commencement of the election, the crowd at the Olubadan Stadium venue was large enough to show that the Igbos meant business in their decision to elect their leader in the state so as to put an end to the 14-year-old rancour that had surrounded the Eze Ndi Igbo title.

In his welcome speech, the President General of Igbo General Assembly, Mr. Felix Igboanugo, remarked that the election was the peak of all directives by royal fathers from the South East who came to Ibadan on 14 July, 2009, as a result of the controversy surrounding the Eze Ndi Igbo title in the diaspora.

Mr. Igboanugo said it was the traditional fathers that brought peace by abolishing the contentious Eze Ndi Igbo title and scrapping the then factional Igbo associations in Ibadan, that is, the Igbo Community Development Association and Igbo Community of Oyo State.

“Today’s event will go down in the annals of Igbo history in Ibadan as a day all Igbos came out as a united entity to choose their leader in a most credible, transparent and democratic manner,” he said, admonishing the contestants for the position of Onyendu Ndi Igbo, who he described as heroes and prominent leaders in Ndi Igbo in Oyo State, to eschew bitterness and imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship after the emergence of the winner.

The two contestants  Prince Isaac Chinonyelum Ozoeze, a retired Superintendent of Police and Chief Alloysius Okwudili Obi, a businessman, took their turns to read their manifestoes to their people to intimate them of what they intended to do if elected.

However, it was almost evident where the tide would turn from the responses of the audience to each of the contestants’ speech.

Twenty delegates were chosen by each of the states that form the Igbo General Assembly, namely; Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi and Delta States; and each state delegates were led by the state president to cast their votes, totalling 120 in all.

At the end of the voting, Prince Ozoeze polled 21 votes while Chief Obi polled 98 votes, with one ballot paper invalidated due to double thumb-printing.

In his post-election speech, the Onyendu-elect, Chief Obi appreciated all those who voted for him to be their traditional leader, saying there was no winner or loser. He also promised to work hand in hand with his co-contestant to move the Igbos forward in Oyo State. The Onyendu-elect appealed to the Oyo State government led by Dr. Adebayo Alao-Akala to include Igbos in the state executive council, saying gone were the days when the government was giving the excuse that the Igbos were not united.

His co-contestant, Prince Ozoeze, openly embraced the Onyendu-elect, saying that he totally accepted the outcome of the election. He also promised to join the Onyendu-elect in moving the Igbos forward in the state, assuring that he would not allow himself to be persuaded by anyone to reject the election.

Also at the event, the representative of Imo State governor, Dr. Peter Njemanze, appealed to the media to ignore diversionary press release as state governments in the East were in agreement with the election. He also appealed to the state government to recognise the Igbos by giving them a slot in the executive council, saying it had become a matter of right, as 46 per cent of the economy of Oyo State is in the hands of the Igbos.

Mr. Igboanugo also told the gathering that the South East traditional rulers who dissolved the Eze Ndi Igbo leadership would be back in the next two months to inaugurate the Onyendu-elect.

Traditional dancers added colour to the event with drumming and dancing and the crowd dispersed in groups, talking animatedly and expressing satisfaction at the new dawn brought about by the election of the Onyendu Ndi Igbo in Oyo State.

Comments (0)

Show/hide comments

Show/hide comment form

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment