Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has rejected suggestions that he is an Igbo man. This comes after his kinsman, ex-Senator John Azuta Mbata, an Ikwerre man, was elected President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo on January 10. Despite the Ikwerres sharing significant linguistic and cultural similarities with the Igbos, Wike maintains that they are distinct from the Igbo ethnic group.

During a live media chat, Wike stated that Mbata has the right to associate with any group he chooses, but his emergence as Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General does not make the Ikwerre people part of the Igbo ethnic group. Wike drew an analogy, saying “just the way every northerner cannot be described as Hausa, the Ikwerres who live in the same region as the Igbos, should not also be called Igbos.” This statement underscores Wike’s assertion that the Ikwerre people maintain a distinct identity separate from the Igbos.

The Ikwerre people, also known as Iwhuruọnha, are an ethnic group native to Rivers State, Nigeria. They inhabit the upland region of the state, sharing borders with Imo State to the north, Emohua to the west, Etche to the east, and Obio-Akpor to the south. The Ikwerre language, part of the Igbo language cluster, distinguishes vowels by quality, nasalization, and tongue root.

Historically, the Ikwerre declared themselves an ethnic nationality distinct from the Ibos and Ijos in 1965. They made efforts to revert to their original names for villages, communities, and landmarks. Culturally, the Ikwerre are mainly farmers and small-scale fishermen, with cordial relationships with their neighbors and established trade relationships with their coastal neighbors. The Ikwerre founded the Ogkabor Ikwerre Convention in 1963, a socio-cultural organization that promotes their unique identity and heritage.