Nwodo Emerges New Ohanaeze Leader as Maduekwe Stays away

Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

Former Minister of Information, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, tuesday defeated former Vice Chancellor of Anambra State University of Science and Technology, Prof Chinweyite Ejike, to emerge the new President-General of the apex-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Nwodo polled a total of 242 votes to beat Ejike who came a distant second with 13 votes.
While two others contestants for the position, Prof Simon Ortuanya and Chief Joel Ezeugwu had earlier stepped down from the race and endorsed Nwodo in their stead, Admiral Alison Madueke who initially bought form for the exercise neither appeared for screening nor showed face at the election.

A former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hillary Opara, and one Uche Okwukwu emerged as Deputy President General and Secretary General respectively, while a former Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Prof Chigozie Ogbu, was elected as the Vice President General.

Other 13 officials mainly politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) also emerged at the election which attracted the presence of top Igbo leaders including a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, former governor of old Enugu State, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Senator Chuka Utazi, among others.

Though none of the governors or ministers from the South-east attended the event, Deputy Governors of Enugu and Ebonyi States, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo and Kelechi Igwe, stormed the national secretariat of Ohanaeze, venue of the election at about 5:30p.m. when the results were being sorted out.
Delegates for the election were drawn from the five states of the South-east as well as from Rivers and Delta States.

Other affiliate bodies including Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Aka Ikenga, among others also sent delegates.
Delegates at the election had earlier endorsed the dissolution of the Chief Gary Igariwey and Dr. Joe Nworgu-led executives.

Igariwey had told the gathering that his executive recorded some modest achievements especially the ongoing construction of an ultra-modern secretariat for the organisation by Governor Rochas Okorocha.

He therefore, urged the incoming executive to ensure that the project was competed within the next three months.
On his part, the chairman of the Election Committee, Prof. Anya O. Anya, said the election coming exactly 50 years after the Nigeria/Biafra war started in 1967 showed that the Igbo were in the threshold of a new era and therefore called for sober reflection.

He recalled that the defunct Eastern Region built the fastest growing economy in 1964, expressing dismay that the zone had continued to totter afterwards.

He urged the new leadership to restore the lost glory of the Igbo.
On his part, the new President General pledged his readiness to serve Ndigbo with commitment and dedication.
While observing that Ndigbo had invested heavily in other parts of the country, Nwodo said his leadership would ensure that Igbo capital was repatriated to Igbo land.