Wike: ‘People Who Say They Are Not Igbos Are Cowards’ – Ohanaeze Chieftain

Elder statesman, Chike Obidigbo, has addressed the controversy trailing the emergence of an Ikwerre indigene as the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Naijaonpoint reports that many Ikwerre indigenes of Rivers State, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, have always insisted that they are not Igbos.

However, the current President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, an Ikwerre indigene, recently said he would not deny his Igbo origin because of politics.

In an interview with Daily Post, Obidigbo clarified that the Igbos occupied most of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, before the Biafra civil war.

The Ohanaeze chieftain said Wike can go to wherever he wants to belong, adding that those denying they are not Igbos are cowards.

He said, “The Ikwerre’s were part of the Igbo and they never, for one day, denied their Igboness, for one day, they never did.

“Every Ikwerre man knew that he was an Igbo person. Even in the Opobo area, they believe that they are Igbo people, even where this present governor (Sim Fubara) comes from, they believe they are Igbo people and they are Igbo people, they speak Igbo, all of them.

“Wike said he is not Igbo. Then let him go to whatever he wants to belong to. If Mbata accepts that he is Igbo and he is from Ikwerre and Ohanaeze presidency is being rotated across board, that is to say, it is the turn of Rivers to produce the president.

“They are not a minority in Rivers and those of them that believe they are Igbo, believe they are Igbo because they are realistic about their Igboness.

“Those who say they are not Igbo are afraid of something, they are cowards. They are people who believe that if they say they are Igbo, then they might be denied certain benefits that they get. That is not enough reason to deny your own people. It is not enough reason.”