Conflicting reports have emerged from the south-east where the selection of the next president of the Ohaneze Ndigbo has kept all ears trained on the east.

Now, two Ikwerre kinsmen from Rivers State have emerged at both Enugu and Port Harcourt, both said to be venues of the election. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) first broke the news from Port Harcourt that Okwukwu, an activist, had become the successor to the late Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

Next, Channels television reported in their online version that Mbata is the next president-General.

Okwukwu, an activist, emerged in Port Harcourt, waving the agenda of restructuring and end to terror.

Azuta-Mbata, a former Senator representing Rivers East at the National Assembly, was elected at the stakeholders meeting of the Igbo Socio-Cultural organization at the old government lodge Enugu, the Enugu State capital on Friday.

In a statement, the Returning Officer during the election, Achi Achi, said Okwukwu was returned unopposed during the convention held between Thursday and Friday in Port Harcourt.

The new President-General, according to Achi, thanked the national delegates who participated in the election for finding him worthy for the position describing them as true ambassadors of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Okwukwu, a renowned activist and lawyer also pledged to defend the interest of ndi Igbo and uphold the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, sociocultural group, without fear or favour.

”My administration will collaborate with President Bola Tinubu to ensure an unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other political prisoners.

”We will ensure de-criminalisation of politicians in exile to enable them return home and contribute to reconstruction of Igboland.

“We shall also encourage the federal and state governments to engage all agitators as part of efforts to addressing grievances as well as differential issues currently hunting our communities.

”We will also engage the federal government on issues bothering on our coastal ports’ modernization, including Port Harcourt and other eastern ports to boost our coastal economy,” Okwukwu was quoted as saying.

Okwukwu, who hails from Elele in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers, was a Secretary-General of the organisation.

Okwukwu has been an ardent claimant to Igbo ancestry, always insisting that Ikwerre people are Igbo. He has always said the abandoned property was an unfair policy and that if truly any property was deemed abandoned, it should revert to the original owner. These views had created many enemies for him.

The activist came into political limelight when he won election in 1999 into the Rivers State House of Assembly but was stopped by the courts to pave way for Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, a challenger, who won and was made Speaker for eight years and later governor for eight years and minister also for eight years.

Mbata is son of a renowned Ikwerre elder who became senator and later joined his father as an elder. He seems to command acceptability across the Ikwerre elders and statesmen, but Okwukwu cannot be waved off due to his fierce political beliefs and ways of activism that fears no arrests no detention.

It is not clear if this would not factionalise Ohaneze as two Rivers sons with the fierce camp political mentality have emerged on the scene.