Okpo Club of Nigeria, a socio-cultural group of Ikwerre lawyers in Rivers state has joined forces with the Ikwerre people umbrella body, Ogbakor Ikwerre to affirm that the Ikwerres are not Igbos.
The law group reportedly issued a public statement which stated that, “the House aligns itself, approved and joined the Ogbakor Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality in the said publication of 20th day of January, 2025.”
“Sequel to the action of Senator Mbata who willingly identified himself as an Igbo man cum his subsequent election as its President General and the fallout of his action and the election and subsequent publication of Ogbakor Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality of 20th day of January, 2025 by Ogbakor Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality.
“Okpo Club of Nigeria is in total support and in agreement in all the paragraphs in the publication of 20th day of January, 2025 by Ogbakor Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality”, the statement stated.
It would be recalled that Ogbakor Ikwerre, had last month in a media briefing by its President-General, Eze Onukwem, a day before the Ohaneze Ndigbo election warned Ikwerre people to stay away from the election because, according to him, the Ikwerres are not Igbos.
In that media parley which was widely published on January 20, 2025, the President-General also warned that sanctions await any son or daughter of the ethnic nationality that disobeyed its directive.
The Okpo Club statement which further noted that one of the aims and objectives of the group was to enjoin Ogbakor Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality and other groups within the ethnic nationality to enhance the unity, peace, protection and matter of common interest of the Ethnic Nationality also warned that any gathering of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality that Mbata is in attendance should be treated with suspicion and circumspect.
The lawyers’ group used the opportunity to cleared some insinuations, statements, publications at some quarters alluding Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality to be part of Igbo Nation and added that such was not true. “Okpo Club re-emphasises that (Iwhuruonna) Ikwerre Nations is not and will never be part of Igbo Nation.”
The statement also called on Mbata to confine himself within and limit his activities therefrom to desist from any matter, issues relating to the Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality as they appealed with Enekas in Obio /Akpor LGA to apply its customary Laws to such acts to its subjection.
