The 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated a former senator, John Azuta-Mbata, on his emergence as the president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
The election
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Azuta-Mbata was elected 13th president-general of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation in Enugu on Friday.
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The former senator replaces the immediate past president-general of the Igbo group, Fidelis Chukwu, whose tenure ended on Friday.
The new president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo hails from Ikwere Ethnic Nationality in Rivers State, South-south Nigeria.
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The 65-year-old had served as senator for the Rivers East Constituency of Rivers State at the beginning of the Fourth Republic.
He served from 1999 to 2007 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Okey Nwadinobi, from Abia State, was elected as the national deputy president while a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Emeka Sibeidu was elected as the new secretary-general of the Igbo group.
Fourteen others were also elected into various executive positions of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Friday.
Exemplary leadership
In a statement on Saturday by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku congratulated other members of the executive on their elections.
He hailed Mr Azuta-Mbata, saying his experience as a lawmaker and administrator, together with the collective exposures of the new executive, “put them in good stead to deliver on their mandate.”
The former vice-president also hailed the “peaceful and credible conduct” of the election on Friday.
He said he acknowledges the “exemplary leadership of the South-east Governors’ Forum in ensuring a free and fair election” coupled with a smooth transition.
“There are lessons to be learnt from the alliance forged by participants despite their political diversity,” Atiku said.
The PDP candidate stressed that Mr Azuta-Mbata’s victory “marks a significant moment for the organisation” and signals “a new era of progress, unity, and development.”
READ ALSO: Tinubu congratulates new Ohanaeze Ndigbo president
Not strangers
Atiku said the elected executives under Mr Azuta-Mbata-led Ohanaeze were not strangers to the divisions that had plagued Nigeria in recent years.
He urged the new executives of the Igbo group to not only unite Igbos, but also work in harmony towards enthroning unity among other socio-cultural organisations in Nigeria.
The former vice-president stressed the importance of the promotion of tolerance and inter communal relations to engender peace which he said is a condition for stability and development.
“The promotion of unity and peace is inevitable in the fostering of a united front to combat the sorry state of our socio-economic conditions and improve the well-being of Nigerians,” he stated.
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