Prof. Chidi Osuagwu, a frontline contestant of Ohaneze-Ndigbo National election, announced on Saturday that he has withdrawn from the race. Osuagwu at a press conference in Owerri, said his decision was taken after he reviewed the resolution of concerned members of the Ime-Obi, the apex decision making body of the Ohaneze-Ndigbo, to call-off the election.
He said he had adopted the call from Ime-Obi , Ohaneze-Ndigbo concerned members and other global Igbo leaders to suspend the election and hand over leadership of Ohaneze-Ndigbo to the President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) South-East.
Osuagwu urged the electoral committee set up by the outgoing President of Ohaneze-Ndigbo, Mr Nnia Nwodo to suspend the election and adopt the resolution of the Ime-Obi.
He said his ambition to contest for the position was to save the soul of Igbo identity, while also alleging that the electoral process had been manipulated.
Osuagwu said if the election was not suspended, the process would amount to illegality as the decision of Ime-Obi superseded that of Ohaneze-Ndigbo.
Concerned members of Ime-Obi, Ohaneze-Ndigbo had issued a communique on Saturday, where the group resolved that the election should be postponed.
The group also resolved that the outgoing President of Ohaneze-Ndigbo, Nwodo should hand over power to the South-East CAN president, whom the group said,, should organise a transparent election of the Ohaneze-Ndigbo.
Osuagwu said the resolution to hand over leadership to CAN would serve everybody better, considering the integrity of the body.
Also, the National President of International Christian Association of Igbo Ministries (ICAIM) Mr Solomon Chukwuemeka told newsmen at a press conference on Saturday that the group had also adopted the resolutions of Ime-Obi to call-off the election. He said irregularities and uncertainties had positioned the election of Ohaneze-Ndigbo scheduled for Jan. 10 in a bad light.
Also, a group under the umbrella of Global Igbo Leaders (GIL) said they had adopted the decision to call-off the election.
The group said in a statement issued on Saturday in Owerri that the decision to support the call to postpone the election was reached in a zoom meeting of GIL held on Jan. 8, 2020.
The group urged Ime-Obi to institute legal action if the election was eventually conducted as scheduled. Other groups that endorsed the Ime-Obi resolution included, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) Igbo World Assembly (IWA) and World Igbo Congress (WIC) among others.
Meanwhile, preparations are ongoing to decorate the Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri, venue of the planned election on Sunday, also the presence of security personnel was seen around the stadium and other activities which served as prelude to the election proper.
