The Ohaneze Ndigbo, Lagos state has declared her former President, Chief Solomon Aguene, a persona non grata. The resolution was passed in a general meeting held by the organization in Surulere, Lagos over the weekend. Confirming this, the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Lagos State, High Chief Sunday Ossai said that the apex Igbo body in Lagos took such decision having considered the high level of embarrassment exhibited by Chief Aguene on Ohaneze in particular and Igbos in Lagos as a whole.
By this declaration, Chief Aguene has been banned from participating in all activities of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Lagos State. He is also not welcome to any event to be carried out by the organization till further notice.
The meeting where this declaration was made was attended by the executives of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chairmen of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Lagos local governments and Local council development areas, women and youth leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders. There were series of complaints raised at the meeting about the negative activities of Chief Aguene leading to a motion declaring him non-persona grata raised by Chief Chris Uzoma Okolo and supported by the house.
Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of Chairmen of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Lagos state, Chief Dan Emeka (Onwa) said that the actions of Chief Solomon Aguene is regrettable and has brought the name of Igbos to ridicule. He said that all the Chairmen of Ohaneze in Lagos state are united under the same umbrella and fully behind the President, Chief Sunday Ossai. He therefore called on all members of Ohaneze in Lagos State to ignore all the threats meted out by Chief Aguene as empty ones. According to him, Aguene is like a single tree in a forest. Chief Emeka advised members of Ohaneze Ndigbo to go ahead to hold their meetings and activities without fear.
In his remark, the spokesperson of the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Lagos State, Prince Ubochi C. Ubochi reiterated that Chief Solomon Aguene has been causing confusion within and outside the Igbo organization since he was voted out of office. Armed with his purported consent of court, Chief Aguene has been parading himself as the President of Ohaneze and has been trying to disrupt all activities set for the interest of Ndigbo in Lagos. In some cases, he threatened people with police unnecessarily causing division among some Igbo groups. He assured all Igbo indigenes in Lagos that Chief Aguene’s antics and his threats is a cry of a drowning man and that he knows that all his false allegations have been nipped in the bud. That is why he has been running from pillar to post. “He used Ohaneze as a bridge to improve his social and economic status and has gone back to destroy the bridge so that others cannot cross. He’s biting the fingers that fed him,” Ubochi said.
Prince Ubochi also called on the organizers of the 2025 Igbo Day not to be distracted by the nefarious activities of Chief Solomon Aguene. The Igbo Day, according to him is for the interest of all Igbos in Lagos and beyond. Anyone who is trying to disrupt the event has no interest of Igbos at heart and therefore should be regarded as enemy of Igbos.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 2025 Igbo Heritage Day Celebration, Apostle Patrick Nwanze, who was at the meeting with his team, thanked Ohaneze Ndigbo for giving him the opportunity to serve them and all Ndigbo in Lagos. He said that this task is also given to all Anioma indigenes granted that this is the first opportunity granted them to take such responsibility.
He said that the upcoming Igbo Day will be a unifying factor for all Igbos in Lagos and Southern Nigeria. He called for all hands to be on deck to ensure its success. He said that he is aware of the plan by Chief Solomon Aguene to disrupt the event by discouraging some people. He assured all Igbo stakeholders that Chief Aguene cannot fight all the Igbos in Lagos.
For some years, it has been reported that Chief Solomon Aguene has been parading himself as the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Lagos State through an alleged consent of court. This is despite the fact that the parties who signed the consent have all withdrawn from it and have settled among themselves. The parties have also been working peacefully with the President and members of Ohaneze in Lagos State. One wonders why Chief Solomon Aguene keeps causing confusion among the Igbos in Lagos, thus the declaration of persona non grata on him.
