There is tension in Ohanku Ancient Kingdom as the founder, Omega Power Ministry (OPM), King Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere and the President General of Ohanku Development Union (ODU), Chief Reginald Iroanya Ezenta, face backlash over an alleged attempt to exclude women from contesting in the forthcoming National Executive Council (NEC) election scheduled for April 21, 2025 (Easter Monday).
Information gathered revealed that ODU comprises three autonomous communities— Ikwuorie, Ujuru, and Okotoko— with its apex body including all affiliate branches within and outside Nigeria.
These branches according to a source, make up the National Executive Council (NEC), composed of branch Chairmen and Secretaries, including the home branch.
Crisis began at the ODU NEC meeting held on January 2, 2025, where an Electoral Committee, headed by Engr. Okechukwu Williamson, with Barr. Dinne Israel Chukwuemeka as Secretary was constituted.
The committee according to reliable source, swung into action and announced that elections would hold on Easter Monday.
However, controversy erupted on April 14, 2025, when one of the traditional rulers, HRM Eze Apostle Dr. Chibuzor Chinyere of Ikwuorie, suggested postponing the election until the Constitution Amendment Committee submits its report.
The proposal was widely rejected by stakeholders and community members.
This, Eze Chinyere later reversed his stance, stating that the election could proceed but with the clause that women should not participate—despite some women already having bought forms and actively campaigning.
Further compounding the issue, Chief Ezenta issued a statement—purportedly on behalf of the NEC—supporting Eze Chinyere’s controversial position. Investigations, however, revealed that the Secretary General of the NEC, Chief Godspower Nwankwo, was unaware of such a statement and did not co-sign it.
In his response, Chief Nwankwo denounced the statement, stating:
“I have perused the document presented to this house on behalf of the NEC by its President General Chief Reginald Iroanya Ezenta, dated 14th April 2025… and I unequivocally posit as follows:
(1) The ODU Constitution has existed since 2006.
(2) It was first amended in 2016 and is currently under a second amendment review, which is nearly complete.
(3) The proposed election date remains sacrosanct.
(4) Exclusion of women contravenes Section 42(1)(a) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and international conventions such as the 1995 Beijing Declaration.
(5) Most ODU branches, except Port Harcourt in recent times, have executive bodies comprising both men and women.
(6) There should be no imposition of a so-called “women’s wing” on the NEC.”
Also reacting, Barr. Orji Odochi Orji, a candidate for Legal Adviser in the upcoming election and Senior Special Assistant to the Chairman, House Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC), Chief Chris Nkwonta, lambasted Chief Ezenta:
“Dee, please stop this public opprobrium. NEC decisions are not made via phone calls and consultations. There was no formal meeting, no quorum. This document cannot be called an NEC position. It is petty, anti-people, and misleading.”
He lauded Chief Nwankwo for distancing himself from what he described as a “one-man agenda,” adding that the Secretary General’s integrity in the matter had preserved the Union’s dignity.
Similarly, the National Investment Secretary (NIS) of the National Association of Academic Technologists and a community leader, resisted the development stating:
“Who is NEC? When and where did NEC meet? Was quorum formed? Ezenta cannot impersonate the NEC. That is illegal and unacceptable. Our community is not a banana republic!”
Meanwhile, it was gathered that some women who purchased nomination forms and began campaigning are now considering legal action over their exclusion from the election.
An elder statesman in the community who pleaded anonymity with our reporter, called on stakeholders to exercise caution so that the situation would not snowball into breakdown of relative peace in the community.
They called for transparency, inclusivity, and adherence to constitutional principles in the upcoming ODU NEC election.
Frantic efforts to reach the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, and King Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere for comments on the matter were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
