When South-east Govs Threw Obiozor under the Bus

Notes for File

For many Igbo sons and daughters, it was shocking to observe that the governors from the South-east boycotted the funeral of the late President-General of their apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor in Imo State, thereby leaving the host governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma to shoulder the burden.

Obiozor, who passed on to glory on December 26, 2022, was the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the equivalent of the Afenifere, Ijaw Nation,  Arewa Consultative Forum, and the Middle Belt Forum. The Presidents of these organisations are revered by their governors.

As soon as the elder statesman died, South-east Governors’ Forum, led by Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, on behalf of colleagues, conveyed a condolence message when he sympathised with the people and Government of Imo State as well as Ndigbo over his demise.

But when it was time for his remains to be buried in his Awo-Omama Community in Imo State on February 10, 2023, the governors were nowhere to pay their last respects to this great man who made the Igbo race and Nigeria proud locally and internationally.

Even when the Imo State Government, Obiozor’s family and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo made the trip to the funeral easy for the VIPs and the governors by limiting the activities concerning the funeral to Owerri, the safest place in the state, the governors still stayed away.

What was most baffling was that Umahi, who should have led the guard of honour, given his position as the Chairman of the South-east Governors Forum was conspicuously absent.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and his counterpart in Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who used to fly about locally and internationally with other G-5 governors, refused to honour Obiozor. Incidentally, Enugu State hosts the headquarters of Ohanaeze. Even Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State didn’t think it was necessary to honour the late elder statesman who, like him, was an academic and international scholar.

If it were Obiozor’s counterpart in any zone in the country that died, the same South-east governors would be falling over themselves to be noticed at the burial ceremony. Many believe that the behavior of these governors was political and against the spirit of “nobody should abandon his brother” for which the Igbos are noted for.  The absence of these governors during Obiozor’s burial has validated the claim that Igbos are disunited whenever it comes to the issue of politics.