Ohanaeze Youth Council Gives Uzodimma 48 Hours to Retract ‘Igbo Minorities’ Remark

The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma to apologise to Ndigbo and withdraw his reported reference to “Igbo minorities” and “Igbo majorities.”

The youth organisation described the governor’s comments as divisive, warning that attempts to create distinctions among Igbo people based on their location or political interests could further deepen divisions within the ethnic group.

The demand was contained in a statement issued on October 5, 2026, by OYC National President, Comrade Igboayaka O Igboayaka.

OYC Challenges Uzodimma’s ‘Igbo Minorities’ Comment

Uzodimma reportedly made the controversial remarks in his Independence Day message on October 1, questioning why what he described as “Igbo minorities” were being portrayed as the majority in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The governor was also quoted as arguing that a minority section of the Igbo population was being presented as representative of the wider Igbo community in the Federal Government.

OYC rejected the distinction, insisting that the Igbo people constitute one ethnic group regardless of where individual members reside.

“There are no Igbo minorities or Igbo majorities existing in any part of the world. The Igbo race is one. There is no lesser, greater or superior Igbo anywhere,” Igboayaka said.

‘Don’t Use Ethnicity for Political Battles’

Igboayaka accused the governor of using ethnic sentiments in what he described as a personal political battle.

He urged Uzodimma to “desist whipping ethnic sentiments when waging his personal political war,” arguing that such rhetoric does not serve the collective interests of Ndigbo.

The OYC leader also criticised other Igbo politicians whom he accused of making divisive statements to advance individual political interests.

“It’s very unfortunate that many Unuseful Igbo politicians are busy making divisive comments to glorify their selfish political interests,” he said.

Youth Council Challenges Governor on Development

Rather than engage in what it described as divisive rhetoric, OYC challenged Uzodimma to focus on attracting major infrastructure and development projects to the Southeast.

Igboayaka specifically urged the governor to pursue the dredging and development of waterways and deep-sea port opportunities in the region.

“Gov Hope Uzodimma should wake up and attract the dredging of Ose-Akwa Ihiala and Ose-Motto Ugota natural deep Sea in Nigeria that has only 18 nautical miles to Atlanta Ocean, than his poor outing and rhetoric divisive comments against Igbo Unity,” he said.

The OYC leader also pointed to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun as an example, citing the proposed Gateway Deep Sea Port in Ogun Waterside.

He described the project as a $7 billion development involving DP World and said construction was expected to begin in November 2026.

48-Hour Deadline

OYC said Uzodimma has 48 hours to retract his reported reference to “Igbo minorities” and “Igbo majority” and apologise to Ndigbo.

Igboayaka warned that failure to comply would attract what he described as the “wrath of Ndi-ichie, Ndiegede, Ndiokpu and supreme Almighty God.”

The group also invoked the history of the Jewish people, arguing that although the Israelites are historically associated with 12 tribes, they are not categorised as “minority Jews” and “majority Jews.”

‘No Igbo Person Is a Lesser Igbo’

The OYC president used the controversy to raise broader concerns about political leadership and representation among the Igbo.

He accused some political leaders of undermining the dignity and unity of the people through divisive rhetoric.

“It’s quite a historical remark that today Ndigbo have lost value of leadership and are being represented or governed by mediocre, incompetent street urchins and political Profiteers who reason from their anus,” he said.

Igboayaka further accused Uzodimma of diminishing the value and dignity of Ndigbo through what he described as an anti-Igbo and divisive statement.

He argued that an Igbo person living outside the Southeast should not be regarded as inferior to an Igbo person residing in the region.

“If Yorubas or Hausas have minorities and majority of the same tribe among them, there is no such thing existing among the Igbos,” he said.

“An Igbo indigenous person in Benue, Bayelsa, Rivers, Kogi, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River is not a minority or lesser Igbo to an Igbo indigenous person in Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu, no inferior or superior to Igbo person anywhere,” he added.

The OYC’s ultimatum now places pressure on the Imo governor to clarify the context of his Independence Day remarks, while the wider controversy highlights continuing disagreements among Southeast political actors over Igbo identity, representation and the role of political interests in regional affairs.