Reactions have trailed the recent election of Senator John Azuta-Mbata as the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
Azuta-Mbata, a former Senate President pro-tempore from Obio-Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, emerged as the leader of the Igbo socio-cultural organization in an election held in Enugu State.
Stakeholders in the Ikwerre ethnic nationality insist that Azuta-Mbata’s acceptance of the position undermines the distinct identity of the Ikwerre people.
According to them, the Ikwerres have a unique cultural heritage and values separate from the Igbos, despite linguistic similarities.
“Linguistic similarity has never been a valid reason for one ethnic group to be subsumed into another,” one of the leaders told AIT.
On the other hand, proponents of Azuta-Mbata’s leadership, including Livingstone Wechie, the newly elected president of the Rivers State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and a fellow Ikwerre native, dismissed the opposition.
Wechie argued that individuals have a constitutional right to association, adding that the critics are “living in denial” of historical ties between the Igbos and the Ikwerres.
While the Igbos maintain that the Ikwerres are a subgroup of the larger Igbo ethnic entity, many Ikwerre stakeholders disagree, insisting on their distinct identity that predates interactions with the Igbos.