An Ohaneze Ndigbo chieftain, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, has decried the purported indefinite suspension of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation’s President-General, Chief Nnia Nwodo, by a faction of the group led by its embattled Secretary-General, Uche Okwukwu.

Okwukwu said Nwodo had been suspended and a nine-man panel had been set up headed by Mr. Richard Ozobu to investigate acts of misconduct and abuse of office as well as bringing Ohaneze to public disgrace.

He said the indefinite suspension bordered on the endorsement of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi ahead of the presidential election weeks away.

But in his reaction, Uwazuruike, a lawyer and former president of Aka Ikenga, said Okwukwu’s pronouncement was one of those bizarre acts of some disgruntled Igbo once elections draw near.

READ ALSO: Things fall apart in Ohaneze as Atiku/Obi endorsement tears leadership asunder

“On what basis did Okwukwu make the pronouncement? Was that for Igbo or for himself and friends?

“If the scribe says he has suspended the president-general, the question to ask him is ‘what is his locus? Can he come to Ime-Obi and say so or would be hold his meeting at one corner of the town?

“He was at the Ime-Obi when the rest of the people took the decision they took, and he did not say anything only to gather his friends later and say that he was suspending the president-general. Can anyone hold a people to ransom?” he asked.

“Okwukwu’s action regrettably is one of those diseases that plague Ohaneze once elections draw near. We saw that in 2007; during the term of Chief Gary Igariweya about four years ago, we experienced similar thing.

“I think Okwukwu’s action is fuelled by one of the South East governors who now wants to pay President Muhammadu Buhari back for allowing him win his governorship elections the last time. That is sad.”