The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State Chapter, High Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene (Udochia), has assured that he would work together with the incoming leader, Chief Sunday Ossai.
Speaking with The Unique Model Magazine in Lagos, Aguene, said he will hand over to the President Elect at appropriate time to ensure that some people who are using the name of Ohanaeze to play politics on Ndigbo for their selfish interest and creating disunity amongst them which is not healthy for the development are drive away.
“I believe that Chief Ossai and I can bring people together without any group intervention based on agreement. What is important for Ndigbo in Lagos is unity and speak in one voice. So that Ndigbo will not be used like a piece of rag.
“Our disunity is an opportunity for other people to take advantage of us. We, Ndigbo, must come together to fight against our common enemy. My intention is to hand over to the incoming president elect at the appropriate time and help him to succeed, he assured.
Both men were at an occasion recently hosted by Eze Ndigbo Mainland, Eze Diorama of Mainland, where Aguene revealed his plans for Chief Ossai and advised him on how to avoid some of the challenges himself passed through before he started recording success.
It will be recall that Chief Aguene and Chief Ossai had been contending over the rightful person to preside over the affairs of Ohanaeze in Lagos State.
Aguene has been the leader because of the court ruled for his favour.
“There is no elected officer that will handover at a garden, or in a farm, nobody cannot handover any elected officer in a farm. I was invited to Mainland for the New Yam Festival of Eze Ndi Igbo of Mainland. The invitation was also extended to Chief Ossai, who eventually came before me. The youths and those waiting for me at the occasion had called me to know if I was coming. They informed me that Chief Ossai was at the occasion. He is also is an Igboman and should be there as well.
“Anybody can buy a dog and name it George Bush, that doesn’t mean that he is the president of America that is what I told my youth, no fight. And I came there, and was sitting down; they called me out and presented a goat, with some yams to me as the President of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Lagos State. And I went back and sat at the canopy of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo as their leader, and Chief Ossai also has his own faction, who sat over their own table in the same field at the occasion.
“The Master of Ceremony wanted to cause trouble and announced that the current president in the occasion is Chief Sunday Ossai, I made no comment when I heard the announcement, then after a while, I took the microphone and said to everybody’s hearing, first, I called Ossai out to meet me, I told him that, “You are to be working with me side by side, let me take you round, since you want to be president of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Lagos State, that those that brought you out know that you did not know the leadership of Ohanaeze, follow me I will teach you the leadership of Ohanaeze, they just brought you out to rob you.
If you didn’t learn leadership of Ohanaeze from me, you will be indebted to Millions of Naira to many people which can lead to High Blood Pressure. I don’t want you to have High Blood Pressure.
“And you have been robbed because you have not achieved anything in Ohanaeze, you either fight everybody, and you are like a brother to me. I know you over 15years before I became Ohanaeze President, you used to come and pay allegiance to me every December.
“I am taking you as a friend and a brother that is why I don’t want the law to take it’s course on you that will lead you to correctional centre. You have to be following me and let me give you contacts so that you will also go into Lagos state protocol list, it is only me that they know in the protocol list. Because I have office and government recognized by court consent.”
Asked further if he was really going to show him all contacts that supported him during his tenure, he said, “Yes, I will show him, I told him, he does not have an office, if he proposed a meeting at Old School Hall in National Stardom, and another person had paid for the hall, that meeting will not hold.
“Where do you choose as Ohanaeze Secretariat? A Divisional Police Officer is in the station, and he will have police station. If there is no police station, there wouldn’t be anybody that will locate him there as Divisional Police Officer. No DPO that will tell you that he has no office.
“Now you are elected president of Ohanaeze and you don’t have an office, it is very bad, you should parade yourself as elected president, but I will teach you the leadership of Ohanaeze, I have gotten the experience. Why I am coming out to advise you is because they want to impeach you, I’m assuring you that nobody will impeach you, they tried it on me and failed. You’re the person I will hand over to at the appropriate time since they have elected you after the court had given judgment not that election before court judgment.
“I will parade you everywhere and connect you to people that will help you. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo have no allocation.”
Also reacting to this development in a telephone interview, Chief Ossai confirmed it, describing the development as the happiest incident in his life.
“That day was the happiest day of my life, since attaining Ohanaeze leadership, it was my best day.”
Speaking further, he urged Ndigbo to always be law abiding wherever they find themselves.
According to him, “We must obey the rule and the law anywhere we are, court has given judgment, Uzodimma is ruling by judgment, Peter Obi did the same thing in Anambra, Tinubu as well, listen to court judgment and others.
“It is always the opposition that want one thing or the other from tribunal and nobody or tribe is above Nigeria constitution or those in Lagos State cannot be bigger that Lagos State constitution.”