The socio-political group of the Ohaji people, Ogbako Ohaji, on Thursday demanded to remain in Imo State and not be included in the proposed Anim State.
This is even as they demanded a public apology from Senator Osita Izunaso for allegedly restraining them from presenting their memorandum during the two public hearings on constitutional amendment by the National Assembly.
Senator Izunaso has already dismissed the call for a public apology, saying the group was jumping the gun at this stage.
Chairman of the Committee of State Creation of Ogbako Ohaji, Chief Johnbosco Ben, made the call during a press conference in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Ben made the call alongside the association’s national president, Chief Fidelis Enyia, Chief Goddy Esom Obodo, and other members of the Ogbako Ohaji State Creation Committee.
The group said it affirms its total support for creating an additional state in the southeast to align it with other geopolitical regions of Nigeria.
Further, they said the clamour for Anim State was morally, politically, and economically justifiable as a first step towards redressing the South East region’s long-standing marginalisation.
However, they said they opposed any plan to move them from Imo State to Anim or any other state.
Chief Johnbosco Ben said Ogbako Ohaji, from the 1975 Justice Irikefe commission and the 2009 memorandum, always stated their wish to remain in Imo State.
He said, “Ogbako Ohaji People’s Forum is the apex socio-cultural body of the Ohaji nation, which has consistently championed the rights of Ohaji’s 25 autonomous communities, which have seven INEC electoral wards and a population of over 500,000 people.
“It is no gainsaying that the Ohaji nation is a major contributor to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, with Assa having the highest gas deposit in the Southern Sahara. Yet the people suffer from infrastructural neglect, lacking electricity, proper health care, passable roads, and unemployment.
“Ohaji was presumptuously included in the proposed Anim State without consultation and or the opinion of her stakeholders sought and obtained. In a letter dated 7th May 2025, addressed to the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Ohaji nation rejected her inclusion in the proposed Anim State, stating historical affiliations with Imo State.
According to him, Ohaji prefers to remain in Imo State because of its proximity to Owerri towns and villages. It takes approximately 45 minutes to travel from the farthest part of Ohaji to Owerri, and it takes two hours to get to Orlu, the proposed capital of Anim State.
Further, the group said they shared a deep cultural affinity with Owerri, as well as an ecclesiastical alignment and educational structure, saying that Ohaji belongs to the Owerri Archdiocese and the ecclesiastical province.
However, the group condemned Senator Osita Izunaso’s action, which prevented the Ogbako Ohaji People’s Forum from defending their memorandum on the state creation of Anim State by exerting his influence.
Chief Ben said Ohaji people demand an apology from their Senator, Izunaso, over the alleged action.
He said, “On the 19th day of July, 2025, the Ogbako Ohaji committee on state creation, representing the entire Ohaji nation, was prevented from defending its memorandum on the state creation by Senator Osita Izunaso, the proponent of Anim State. Senator Izunaso prevented our people from speaking by exerting his influence on the master of the ceremony not to recognise the Ohaji nation to speak.
“The circumstance in which the action of the Senator was carried out was embarrassing and humiliating to the people of Ohaji.
“It is worthy of note that it is over one month since that embarrassing incident, and Senator Izunaso has not deemed it wise to seek a medium to apologise to Ndi Ohaji and the Ohaji nation, particularly notes this and hence demands a public apology from Distinguished Senator Osita Izunaso.”
When contacted, Senator Osita Izunaso said Ohaji people were jumping the gun as it was not yet time to reject inclusion in any proposed state.
Izunaso said, “The first stage is the state proposal, while the next stage will be to reject inclusion. Now, we are making calls for inclusion in Anim State.
“In Enugu State, I explained to them that this was the proposal stage and not yet the time to refuse inclusion, which is the referendum stage.
“It is at the referendum stage that the national assembly will take requests for rejection into any proposed state, not now. Let us make our position for more states first then later we talk about who should be where. I even appealed to them not to spoil our case, but they didn’t listen,” Izunaso said.
