The Iri-Ji (New Yam) celebration in Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area, Lagos, took a dramatic turn on the sideline, Sunday as two factional chairmen of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo used the cultural gathering to affirm the long-standing cordial relationship between Igbos and their Yoruba hosts while sharply disagreeing over whom legitimately leads the apex Igbo socio-cultural body in the area.
Though divided by an unresolved leadership tussle, both chairmen were unanimous that relations between Igbo residents and their Yoruba counterparts in Lagos remain warm, with any pockets of tension rooted in personal misunderstandings rather than inter-ethnic hostility.
Speaking at the sidelines of the event, Mazi Richard Eze, Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo in Apapa-Iganmu who claimed aligned with the Chief Solomon Aguene-led faction, dismissed suggestions of strained ethnic relations.
“I can tell you categorically that the Yorubas are friendlier to me than even some Igbos,” he said. “I live among the Yoruba, and we are close. I have no quarrels with them. Any issue anyone senses is purely personal.”
He, however, faulted the existence of a parallel Ohanaeze structure, saying, “Someone is claiming chairmanship under a leader who never contested any election.”
On the other side of the divide, Hon. Chukwuemeka Peter, who leads a rival structure of the Ohanaeze, insisted he is the authentic chairman, alleging that Mazi Richard Eze abandoned the election process in which he (Peter) emerged victorious.
“I was duly elected Chairman of Ohanaeze Apapa-Iganmu, and Chief Aguene did not annul that election and we bought nomination forms from the secretariat,” he said.
“He (Eze) was supposed to be my vice but walked out and later set up a parallel structure across several local governments.”
Despite the tense internal dispute, Peter echoed the same sentiment on Yoruba–Igbo relations.
“Our relationship with the Yoruba is cordial. Many Yoruba people supported me during my election. I am a member of the CDA , I visit the Oba’s palace freely, and I work closely with Yoruba residents.”
Igwe Okanume Donatus Uchechukwu described the relationship as “deep and multifaceted,” emphasising that cooperation with host communities is non-negotiable.
“The Yorubas are our landlords here, and unity is important. Politically, I am still serving in my LCDA as an Exco without disappointment. Our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is doing his best, and we must maintain harmony.”
However, Chief Festus Diochi, the Agu N’Odu Odu Otagbue Ibe ya 1, voiced a dissenting view, lamenting what he described as unfriendly treatment of Igbos in Lagos.
“In Igboland, a stranger can live freely in any house. But here in Lagos, the discomfort is too much, and the level of hatred toward us is unimaginable,” he said, urging Igbos to refocus their investments on their homeland.
The event, meant to celebrate culture and harvest, thus doubled as a forum for reaffirming inter-ethnic harmony while exposing deep internal divisions within Ohanaeze in Apapa-Iganmu.
