The Chairman of the Council of Elders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has condemned those who are stoking ethnic tensions in Lagos State, calling them “political rascals.” He emphasized that there is no war between the Igbo and the Yoruba in the state. “We are in Nigeria and we have invested heavily here. We will not succumb to pressure to leave; we are not going anywhere,” Iwuanyanwu said at a ceremony in Anambra State marking Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s first year in office. “I want the people in Lagos to understand that there is no conflict between us (Igbo) and the Yoruba. Those who are causing trouble are merely political rascals, and we will deal with them.”
Iwuanyanwu added that the elders have instructed the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the damage caused, stating that “people are going to pay.” He noted that he convened a meeting of the Ohanaeze Council of Elders worldwide on Wednesday, during which members assessed the events in Lagos. “Representatives from our branches in America, Canada, Europe, London, and Nigeria have reached a resolution, and I want those in Lagos to return home and inform the people there,” he said.
The remarks come after Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for President‑elect Bola Tinubu’s campaign team, warned Igbo residents in Lagos against “interfering” in the state’s politics. Onanuga, who serves as Director of Media and Publicity for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, posted the warning on his official Twitter account (@aonanuga1956) shortly after the governorship elections. He wrote, “Let 2023 be the last time of Igbo interference in Lagos politics. Let there be no repeat in 2027. Lagos is like Anambra, Imo, any Nigerian state. It is not No Man’s Land, not the Federal Capital Territory. It is Yoruba land. Mind your business.”
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