Otti, Achebe caution Ohanaeze against partisan politics

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe, have called for the renewal of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, with Achebe particularly urging the organisation to remain above partisan politics and serve as the conscience of the Igbo people.

The duo made the call in Lagos on Tuesday at the unveiling of a book, “Ohanaeze at 50 – The Burden of Memory, The Politics of Relevance: A Critical Biographical Reflection of an Igbo Institution,” authored by Agbeze Onuma.

Otti, who was the special guest of honour, said the 50th anniversary of Ohanaeze should be a period of honest reflection on the organisation’s past, present relevance and future.

Speaking, Otti said the book raised fundamental questions about institutional renewal, generational transition and the relationship between leadership and the people it claimed to represent.

Otti said, “At 50, an institution deserves celebration, but it also deserves reflection. What has Ohanaeze become? What should it be? And what must it do to remain relevant to generations of Ndigbo yet unborn?

“As Ohanaeze turns 50, we should take a moment to reflect on renewal, a point at which an institution looks honestly at its past, learns from it, and summons the courage to imagine something greater. Ohanaeze at 50 gives us that opportunity.

“The book therefore raises fundamental questions about institutional renewal, generational transition, and the relationship between leadership and the people it claims to represent.”

The governor said the book did not merely celebrate Ohanaeze’s history but challenged the organisation to build institutions capable of responding to the aspirations of younger generations.

He said the future of Ndigbo could not be secured by nostalgia alone, urging the adoption of technology and innovation, engagement with the global Igbo diaspora and the translation of cultural identity into economic, intellectual and political strength.

According to him, heritage could give an organisation legitimacy, but its relevance must be earned continuously.

“There’s also a powerful message here for the Igbo younger generation. The future of Ndigbo cannot be secured by nostalgia alone.

“It must be built through institutions that understand the aspirations of young people, embrace technology and innovation, engage the global Igbo diaspora, and translate cultural identity into economic, intellectual, and political strength,” Otti said.

He stressed that the Ohanaeze at 50 celebration afforded another opportunity for the Ndigbo to seriously ruminate on whether it prioritised building institutions that would outlive individual personalities and political seasons.

Otti said, “It asks us to think about what remains undone. It asks whether our institutions are sufficiently responsive to the times in which we live. It asks whether leadership is keeping pace with the aspirations of our people.”

The Obi of Onitsha, Achebe, who also spoke at the event, said Ohanaeze must return to its role as a socio-cultural organisation and remain above partisan politics.

He recalled that he had expressed similar concerns to the author during an interview in 2010, when he warned about the fragmentation of the Igbo and the effect on their collective position in Nigeria and globally.

Achebe said, “The real strength of Ohanaeze is the grassroots. Ohanaeze is a socio-cultural organisation, not a partisan political one. No politician should ever again attempt to hijack Ohanaeze for personal political gains.

“Ohanaeze should stand above politics, monitoring and guiding those who play politics, ensuring that whatever party they belong to, they act in the best interest of the Igbo. Ohanaeze should be the conscience of the Igbo nation.”

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The monarch said Ohanaeze had become too elitist and lost touch with the grassroots, arguing that the organisation’s strength lay with ordinary Igbo people.

He also criticised the divisions within the organisation, saying the Igbo needed to develop a collective agenda that transcended political affiliations.

According to him, Ohanaeze’s inability to speak with one voice had weakened the influence of the Igbo.

“The conscience of the Igbo nation does not quarrel over seating arrangements. The conscience of the Igbo nation does not split into factions over a presidency that should mark a responsibility, not a prize. The conscience of the Igbo nation does not go silent when the Igbo are marginalised and does not speak only when there is political capital to be gained.

“At its worst, and we have seen its worst, it goes to Abuja as 10 different people, each saying something different, each pursuing a personal agenda. The result is that our voice becomes noise, and noise commands no respect,” he said.

Achebe said the Igbo had considerable potential in education, entrepreneurship and global influence but had yet to translate those strengths into institutional power.

He challenged Ohanaeze leaders to treat the book as a mirror and use its criticisms to strengthen the organisation.

“To those who lead Ohanaeze today and those who will lead it tomorrow, I say with the directness that age and position permit me and afford me, read this book as a mirror, not a memoir, not a history lesson, not someone else’s problem, a mirror,” Achebe added.

The book reviewer, Prof Okey Anueyiagu, also identified institutional renewal as a central issue raised by the book, saying Ohanaeze stood at a historic crossroads after 50 years.

Anueyiagu urged the Igbo to move from what he described as “reactive agitation” to structured, proactive and strategic regional governance.

He called for sustainable economic institutions, modern transport and energy infrastructure, stronger grassroots structures and greater investment in technology, commerce and innovation.

In his brief remarks at the event, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, said the Igbo should use the occasion to celebrate their heritage while working with other ethnic groups to develop Nigeria.

Obi said, “We are proud to be Igbo, and we are proud of our heritage and, using this celebration to show love and care for other cultures, tribes and all of us will work together to develop our country, Nigeria.”

Representing the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, John Azuta-Mbata, a Lagos State leader of the organisation, Everest Ozonweke, said the Igbo should spend more time examining their shortcomings than praising themselves.

He said, “We are a great nation, but we have much work to do on ourselves. Let us learn to put ourselves right so that we can be better outside.”

The event was chaired by former Group Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria Holdings Plc, Eke U. K.

Others in attendance included the foreword writer, Dr Umar Eleazu; the publisher, Peter Nwankwo; Eyinnaya Abaribe; Obi Umahi; and Prof Anya O. Anya.