Iwuanyanwu urges Buhari to free Kanu before May 29
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide got a new leader yesterday.
Elder statesman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, was ratified as the new President-General.
He will complete the tenure of Prof George Obiozor, who took office on January 10, 2021, but died on December 26, 2022.
Iwuanyanwu vowed to work towards improving security in the region, stressing the urgent need for a peace summit.
He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to release the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, before May 29.
The new leader of Ndigbo believes Kanu is very crucial to any discussion and that negotiating any peace while he is in prison will be difficult.
“It is also important to note that the judiciary has discharged and freed Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“It will be the joy of many Igbo people and Nigerians to see Mazi Nnamdi Kalu released from detention.
“There is also a report that his health is deteriorating. I feel it is important that he is released to have access to his medical doctors so that he does not die in prison,” Iwuanyanwu said.
According to him, having carefully examined the circumstances of Ndigbo, he would also focus on education, agriculture, industrialisation, electricity, power generation and health.
The Ohanaeze leader vowed to ensure that the Southeast gets an additional state, the region being the only region with five.
He said: “Several political conferences have recommended the creation of additional state in the Southeast to bring the number to six. So far, this has not been actualised.
“I will make sure that during my tenure, an additional state is created for the Southeast.”
Iwuanyanwu described the event as a remarkable day in his life, noting that all his life, he had done his best to serve both in times of war and of peace.
He said he did not nurture the ambition to be the President General of Ohanaeze.
“Instead, I had the ambition of becoming the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I contested for the Presidency on three occasions but I did not succeed.
“I took my losses in good composure knowing full well that as a Christian, all powers and promotion come from God.
“But today (yesterday), destiny has placed squarely on my shoulders the duty of leading the Igbos as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“I, therefore, have a duty to valiantly defend the Igbo course and I promise Ime-Obi and all Igbo people that by the grace of God I will not fail them,” he said.
Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra) participated in the Ime-Obi sitting of Ohanaeze at the old government house lodge in Enugu, where Iwuanyanwu was presented and ratified as the new Igbo leader.
Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, his Imo and Abia States counterparts Hope Uzodimma and Okezie Ikpeazu were represented by their deputies, Kelechi Igwe, Prof. Placid Njoku and Sir Ude Oko Chukwu.
Also at the event were Enugu governor-elect, Peter Mbah; Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Peter Obi; former governor Imo of State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim; former Presidents-General of Ohanaeze led by Chief Nnia Nwodo, former minister of Health, Prof. ABC Nwosu, among others.
Imeobi is the highest decision-making organ of the Ohanaeze.
The 80-year-old politician was earlier this month presented to Uzodimma by a delegation of the Imo Elders Council as the consensus candidate to replace Obiozor.
