The Apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has strongly refuted claims attributed to a factional youth leader, Damian Okafor, suggesting that the South-East should suspend its bid for the Nigerian presidency until 2035.

 

In a press statement issued on Sunday, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, dismissed the report as false and misleading, insisting that the organization has not, and will not, bar any Igbo person from seeking elective office.

 

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo has stated emphatically that any Igbo person can contest in the 2027 presidential election. Any publication to the contrary is fake news, did not originate from Ohanaeze, and should be discountenanced by the entirety of Ndigbo,” Azuta-Mbata declared.

 

 

He stressed that Ohanaeze remains strictly a socio-cultural body and not a political party, emphasizing that it has neither the power nor the mandate to determine who should or should not run for political office.

 

According to him, the group’s role is to safeguard Igbo unity, culture, and interest, while allowing individuals to freely pursue their political ambitions through their chosen platforms.

 

“Ohanaeze is not aligned with any political party. Any Igbo person who belongs to a political party and wants to contest in 2027 is free to do so. Ndigbo are advised to continue their lawful political activities in the various political parties of their choice and membership,” he added.

 

 

 

The clarification follows confusion stirred by a statement allegedly issued by Okafor, who parades himself as the leader of the Ohanaeze Youth Wing, advising the South-East to defer its presidential ambitions for another eight years.

 

Ohanaeze has now categorically disowned the statement, reiterating that the Igbo nation will continue to participate fully in Nigeria’s democratic process without restriction.