Ohanaeze Youth Council Gives Uzodimma 48 Hours to Apologise Over ‘Igbo Minorities’ Remark

The Ohanaeze Youth Council has given Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma 48 hours to retract remarks about “Igbo minorities” and apologise, escalating a fresh dispute over ethnic representation in the South-East.

The controversy followed comments made by Uzodimma during an Independence Day banquet on October 1, where he spoke about the representation of ethnic groups in the Federal Government.

The governor questioned why, in his view, people he described as minorities within the Igbo population were being presented as representatives of the wider Igbo community.

Uzodimma argued that the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba all have minority populations, but suggested that the principle of representation was being applied differently in the case of the Igbo. He did not, however, identify specific communities or government officials he was referring to in the remarks.

The Ohanaeze Youth Council, led by its National President, Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, rejected the governor’s distinction between Igbo minorities and majorities.

The group maintained that no Igbo person should be regarded as inferior or superior because of their state or geographical location. It accused Uzodimma of introducing ethnic sentiments into a political disagreement and demanded that he withdraw the remarks and apologise within 48 hours.

The council also called on the governor to prioritise economic development and infrastructure across the South-East.

Among its proposals, the group urged attention to proposed maritime infrastructure around Ose-Akwa in Ihiala and Ose-Motto in Oguta. However, claims concerning the development and description of the proposed waterways were not independently established in the reports reviewed.

The dispute comes amid continuing debates among Igbo political and socio-cultural groups over representation of the South-East and Igbo communities outside the region in national politics.

As of the latest reports, there was no publicly reported response from Uzodimma accepting the demand or issuing an apology.