Stakeholders of Eneka Clan in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, have urged residents, including their paramount ruler, His Royal Highness, Chief Rowland Woko, to desist from making public statements that convey the impression that Eneka is now an enclave of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo group in Rivers State, in the interest of common peace and the valued unity for which Eneka is known.
Speaking under the aegis of Concerned Eminent Eneka Natives, the stakeholders which comprised elders, opinion leaders and youths vehemently condemned the claim that Eneka is an Igbo enclave, describing it as misleading, untrue, mendacious and tendentious.
Related Post:Mbata’s Emergence As Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General Excites Fubara
The Eneka Concerned Indigenes made this declaration in a press conference on Thursday, at Rumuesara, convened by the Very Rev’d. Dr Fyneface Akah, where they maintained that Senator John Azuta Mbata, who recently emerged as the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, was on his own.
At the conference, Barr. Chris Obasiolu, spoke for and behalf of Mr. Ovunda O.Orji, Barr V. O. Chuku, Barr. Clay Ogbonna, Mr. Oscar Weli, Mr. Monday Ordu, Mr. Chris Ogbonna, Mr Ovunda Waka, Barr. Innocent Ogbonna, Mr Emmanuel Onuma, Mr Chimenem Worlu and others.
According to them, “the Concerned Eminent Eneka Indigenes at home and abroad here and now express our displeasure with the current unguarded utterances and acts of lawlessness being endorsed by Eneka main chief and others following the personal resolve of our Distinguished Senator John Azuta Mbata’s exercise of his franchise to be a member of Ohaneze Ndigbo last month.
Related Post: Governor Fubara Celebrates Senator John Azuta Mbata in Rivers State on His 65th Birthday
“Quite appalling is that a Community High Chief who told the Ogbakor Ikwerre official delegation that visited his Home that he’s unaware and surprised that one of his Subjects in the person of the Distinguished Senator Mbata had offered himself for the post of President General of Ndigbo, would now turn around to undiscriminatingly assemble a few persons with whom he went with to pay a courtesy call on a Son from the “market,” whom he had denied knowledge of his decision to be the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo.
“More disappointing is that our traditional ruler deliberately misinformed the public by claiming that the visit was orchestrated and assented to by Eneka people. This is far from the truth. When will all these double standards end? Eneka people have come a long way and do have lots of responsible indigenous minds than what you are given to see and hear of us.”
The Eneka natives stated that, “we wish to make matters lucid by saying that: We appreciate the genuine concern of Iwhuruohna traditional rulers, the Pan Iwhuruohna youths and Elders and other bodies for sustaining the Peace, Love and Unity our Fathers laboured for and bequeathed to us all.
“As Iwhuruoha natives of Eneka Clan, we truly feel encouraged by the various responses calling for caution and urging our Son and Brother, Distinguished Senator John Azuta Mbata to recant his current stance in Ohaneze Ndigbo for the good of the age-old valued distinct Identity and freedom of Iwhuruohna ethnic nationality.
Related Post: Mbata’s Emergence As Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General Excites Fubara
“That as illustrious indigenes of Eneka, we frown at and do hereby disassociate ourselves from the Statement made by the Senator in his Television Spot Interview on Saturday February 1, 2025, that there are different categories of Iwhuruohna, urging those who claim Bini ancestry to ‘go to Bini.’ This line of free talk is divisive and capable of evoking all ill wind which could result in Lawlessness.”
They explained that “such remark by Senator Mbata does clearly confirm rumors that the Senator’s intention is to be the bridge through which the aggrieved expansionist of Ohaneze Ndigbo will walk to actualize their more than 50 years desire to claim Rivers State as “their 6th Igbo State in Nigeria”
“We here again emphasize that this is the ill-conceived political agenda to forcefully assimilate the Ikwerre, Etche, Ekpeye, Ogba, Ndoni and other ethnic nationalities they unilaterally drafted into their unacceptable Map of Biafra;
“It is now clearer that the free donation of the highest Office of President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo to an Ikwerre man is for the sole purpose of gaining a re-entry to claim Port Harcourt as Igbo land. Shockingly they now found an Eneka illustrious Son who willingly or otherwise accepted the bait set by Ohaneze Ndigbo by capitulating to the attractions of the overture in promises rejected by other kinsmen who were contacted before the Senator.
“We, the Eneka people are very unhappy with our paramount Chief Rowland Woko and all those who alongside with him are singing songs of divide and rule in Eneka today – all for the sake of stomach infrastructure. Evident now is that this whole blinding drive is political; as evinced in the Senator’s promise of more infrastructural developments to Eneka people and also from remarks made by others who spoke to the Press in the same event, disclosing that very soon intention in the Senator’s decision to accept the PG position will become clearer to those who are yet to understand him now.
“As concerned Eneka Natives, We reiterate the unflagging position of all well-meaning Chiefs, Elders and people of Eneka with the stance of Ogbakor Ikwerre Worldwide in this matter.”
The stakeholders further called on the state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, all law enforcement and security agents in the state as well as all opinion leaders of the Rivers tribes to, “rise to our early call to nip this expansionist tendency in the bud right now; this renewed cruise and push with a few individuals working on their behalf might affect the shared peace and unity existing among Rivers tribes as constituted from inception when Rivers State was created.
“Let it be known that the end of this neo-political moves by the political faction within Ohaneze Ndi Igbo will affect Rivers State greatly if allowed to fester. This re-entry design of a people having more than five decades of grievances against Rivers People, if left unchecked will blow adversely as an ill wind against all tribes including the Ijaws, Ekpeyes, Ogonis, Etches, Ogbas etc.
“Our rejection of this re-entry into Rivers State of politically motivated Igbo opinion leaders necessitated our standing hand in hand with the Ikwerre ethnic Nationality. It is said that “a stitch in time saves nine.” It is better to fix a problem as soon as it arises to prevent it from becoming a bigger issue.”
Emphasizing that a good and contemplative leader avoids all that divides or polarizes his people, but rather commits to building a united and prosperous platform for his people, the body warned that, “failure of the High Chief to restrain himself and those with him in their unpopular pursuit, will be taken as calculated offense worth visiting with appropriate civilized response.”
