{"id":4044,"date":"2025-02-05T09:55:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T09:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/?p=4044"},"modified":"2025-02-05T09:56:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T09:56:06","slug":"ohanaeze-ill-not-deny-my-igbo-ancestry-identity-mbata-replies-critics-as-opobo-elders-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/2025\/02\/05\/ohanaeze-ill-not-deny-my-igbo-ancestry-identity-mbata-replies-critics-as-opobo-elders-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohanaeze: I\u2019ll Not Deny My Igbo Ancestry Identity \u2013 Mbata replies critics, as Opobo elders visit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,\u00a0John Azuta Mbata has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to his Igbo heritage, dismissing recent criticisms against him as baseless and borne out of misunderstanding.<\/h3>\n

Azuta-Mbata made this declaration during a courtesy visit by the Opobo Elder Statesmen 4-Sim in Port Harcourt on Monday, where he reiterated his support for Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara<\/strong>, and his respect for the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Addressing criticisms levelled against him, Azuta-Mbata insisted that no amount of opposition or public outrage would make him distance himself from his Igbo roots.<\/p>\n

He said,\u00a0\u201cSome people say they are from Benin, that their ancestry is Benin. And I say, that\u2019s fine, let\u2019s go there. We say that we have a relationship with the Igbo.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m not going to deny my Igbo identity. Anyhow you like, talk from now till tomorrow; I\u2019m not going to deny my ancestry. We are related. Why are you shouting me down? I bet you these things (criticisms) will just naturally die down.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Azuta-Mbata stressed the need for political inclusivity among the Igbo, urging the people to embrace a broader political strategy to secure development and national influence.<\/p>\n

The Ohanaeze President further stated, \u201cWe must operate at the highest stage of this Nigerian project. We have to be able to access the powers that be.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe must enjoy support from another perspective. Politics is played from Abuja and not here. It\u2019s when they finish from Abuja that they come here. I won\u2019t say everything today. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Ohanaeze leader further downplayed the criticisms against him, stating that they stemmed from a lack of understanding. He emphasized his role as a unifier, seeking to bridge gaps and promote development.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see my responsibility as building bridges. We must connect our people to a much larger platform for development,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,\u00a0John Azuta Mbata has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to his Igbo heritage, dismissing recent criticisms against him as baseless and borne out of misunderstanding. Azuta-Mbata made this declaration during a...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t