In A Controversial Election, Obiozor Is New Ohaneze Nd’Igbo President |The Source

By Charles Igbo

In unarguably the most controversial and most disputed election held to chose the President of the apex Igbo Cultural Group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor has emerged the President.

But Obiozor’s victory in the election held in Owerri, Imo State, on Sunday,  is dampened by the election on Saturday, by a factional group of Ohaneze, in Enugu, of Engr. Chidi Ibeh, a former Commissioner in Imo State as the factional President.

It is also mired by the withdrawal, in protest, of the some other contestants to the office, including the cerebral Chief Chris Asoluka, PhD, from the contest, pleading irregularities in the process.

Since the search for Chief Nnia Nwodo’s successor began, it has been engulfed in crisis and suspicion, with not a few stakeholders insisting that some people were bent on foisting Prof. Obiozor on the Igbo.

From the Ohaneze constitution, it is the turn of Imo State to produce the President. Obiozor was presented as a consensus candidate, to the disapproval of others who insisted it was a breach of the constitution.

But, apparently, the protest was in vain, as many  stakeholders, including the five state Governors in the South-east, lined up behind Obiozor.

During the election on Sunday, using the option A4 method, Obiozor polled 304 votes to emerge winner.

An erudite Professor of International Affairs,  and respected  diplomat, Obiozor, 78, was Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States of America. He was also the Nigeria High Commissioner to Isreal, as he was to Cyprus. Obiozor was also a former Director General of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, NIIA.