The president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has narrated how Chief Edwin Clark and Chief Ayo Adebanjo influenced him to accept to lead the apex Igbo group.
Clark who turned 96 yesterday is the national leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) while Chief Ayo Adebanjo, 95, is the leader of Afenifere.
Iwuanyanwu said the two renowned nonagenarians’ activism in leading their respective ethnic nationality at 96 and 95 respectively challenged him to take up the leadership of Ohanaeze.
Iwuanyanwu was unanimously elected the Ohanaeze President General to serve off the term of Prof George Obiozor, erstwhile president general of Ohanaeze who died last year.
He disclosed this in a statement issued by Dr Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze’s national publicity secretary, to felicitate with Clark as he marks his 96th birthday.
In his words, “If Clark and Adebanjo at above ninety can render selfless services in pursuit of equity and justice for the Igbo nation, it will be inexcusable for me, at 81, to abandon my people when they needed me most.
“Chief Clark is one of the first persons that envisioned that for Nigeria to have peace and sustainable national development, the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be zoned to the South East.”
Iwuanyanwu, in the release, commended “the courage, unwavering support and steadfastness demonstrated by Chief Clark in particular and the SMBLF in general for the achievements recorded by the Obi-Datti movement in the 2023 presidential election.”
Ohanaeze, in the release, prayed that Chief Clark ‘remain as fit as a fiddle for many more years to come to harvest the fruit of his lofty dreams for a united, stable and prosperous Nigeria.
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