Cross River Ohanaeze Crisis: Government Warns Against Security Breach

By Stanley Ekpenyong, Calabar

Citing the need to forestall breach of security in the state, the Cross River State Government has waded into the crisis in the State’s Chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and leadership of the Igbo community.

It warned a faction of the group against engaging in any action capable of disrupting peace in the State.

The Cross River Chapter of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group has been embroiled in a crisis with two factions laying claim to its leadership.

The Igbo community is, also, enmeshed in a dispute over the controversial Eze Ndi Igbo stool which one of the prominent Igbo businessmen in the state, Chief Emmanuel Ezenwenyi, has been laying claim to.

In May, a faction opposed to the Ohanaeze leadership of Barrister Ugorji Nwabueze who also doubles as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ben Ayade on Non-Indigene Affair (Igbo), with the backing of Chief Ezenwenyi, met in Ikom in Central Cross River and purportedly elected one High Chief Festus Odomenam as the new President-General of the group.

However, Ugorji’s camp wasted no time in dismissing the said election as a non-event, saying it negated the Ohanaeze Constitution.

The Ugorji camp also announced the abolition of the Eze Igbo stool, relying on the earlier pronouncement of the Cross River State Council of  Traditional Rulers and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide to that effect.

Essentially, Cross River Monarchs had, in November, 2018, issued a press statement seriously frowning on the controversial Eze Ndigbo title.
Cross River Monarchs:  “The Igbos have every right to assemble as a community in Cross River State and pursue their legitimate rights under a leader who may be known as President General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, President of Igbo Community in Cross River State, but not as Eze Ndi Igbo, a revered traditional title reserved for Monarchs in the respective Igbo kingdoms.

“The said leader is not to bear the titles of His Majesty (HM), His Royal Majesty (HRM), or His Highness (HH).”

The statement, signed by Paramount Ruler of Bakassi and the Chairman, Cross River State Traditional Rulers Council, Etim Edit, and the Paramount Ruler of Calabar Municipality, Patrick Agbor, had warned the Igbo leader in Calabar laying claim to the Eze Ndi Igbo title against awarding chieftaincy title, whether traditional or honorary, to any person within the territories of Cross River State.

The Bakassi Monarch had said that he and others sought clearance from the councils of traditional rulers in the South-east before issuing the statement:

“The response I got from the Traditional Rulers in the South-east was that the title of Eze Ndi Igbo was an exclusive one for kings in Igbo land and that we should not allow it in Cross River.

“I now asked, ‘how about those who have been using it?’ and they told me ‘Those using it illegally have been asked to stop forthwith,’” he said.

However, moves by the Odoemenam faction of Ohanaeze to coronate Chief Ezenwenyi was to draw the ire of the Cross River state government which warned, through a press statement dated September 29, 2021, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services, Governor’s, Dr Alfred Mboto, of dire consequences should any group proceed with the said coronation.

The Government also reaffirmed its recognition of Barrister Nwabueze as the authentic Ohanaeze President in the State.

Entitled “Plan to Disrupt Peace and Security in Calabar by some Unknown Igbo Men, the statement reads in part:

“The attention of Cross River state government has been drawn the plan by a group of Ndi Igbo not only to divide the Igbo but to coronate one Chief Emmanuel Ezenwenyi as Eze Ndi Igbo Cross River state… to distort peace in Calabar and Cross River in general.

“His Excellency, the Governor of Cross River State has frowned seriously on such move capable of rupturing peace and harmony…This government still recognises Barr. Ugorji Nwabueze as the President of the Igbo community in Cross River state”

The statement further quoted Governor Ayade as directing security agencies in the state “to arrest and prosecute anybody parading himself for inauguration in any similar title in the state”