…Assures of active participation in national politics
By Anthony Uwadiegwu
An astute businessman and quintessential politician, Chief Emeka Egwuonwu, has emerged President of Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in Cross River State.
Speaking after a successful election in Ikom local government area of the State, weekend, the new President assured that henceforth, the group will be actively involved in national politics as part of efforts to ensuring its people reap the dividends of good governance.
“Yes, this is indeed a new dawn in Ọhanaeze Ndigbo in Cross River, we will no longer play armchair politics from the state to the national level.
“We will be fully and actively involved starting from the 2027 national elections,” Egwuonwu assured.
He maintained that his emergence as the new President for a four year tenure will see to the achievement of greater things for the group, adding that he would discharge his duty without fear or favour.
According to him, “It is not going to be business as usual because I have the capacity, and I am going to pilot the affairs of Ọhanaeze Ndigbo in Cross River with all I have in me.
“Yes, even without being elected, I have been working with the government because there is nothing you would do, especially in this part of the world, without government.”
“As a team player, I promise to carry everybody along to ensure that we achieve great success as we forge ahead, it is no longer going to be business as usual as we are determined to make a difference by advancing Igbo people in every sphere both at home and in the diaspora,” Egwuonwu assured.
Meanwhile, Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River applauded the process that led to the emergence of Egwuonwu as the leader of the Igbos in the state, admitting that, the people have freely chosen who to lead them rightly.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Non-Indigene Affairs, Mazi Okey Maduekwe, Otu argued that irrespective of ethnicity, no one has been treated more than the other in the state
Reasoning that his “people first mantra” has impacted on lives of everyone in the state, the governor said the provision of infrastructure and security for businesses to thrive will continue to be a priority of his administration.
His words: “You can see that the Igbos are happy here in Cross River, and as I have supported them, they have also been very supportive of my government.
“We have a very large population of the Igbos with investment in various segments of the economy.
“I have gotten assurances that more are coming to invest in Cross River because of the conducive environment and the way we have related with them as part of us,” the governor disclosed.
Earlier, Ezeigbo Cross River state, Eze Emmanuel Ezewenyi, represented by Onowu Ndigbo, Chief Livinus Ihezie, appealed to the contestants for a rancour-free electioneering exercise.
He appealed that whoever emerges as the new leader should be supported to bear the burden of the people.
“I am happy that the governor is here to witness this exercise, and it is my sincere prayer that we will conduct ourselves in an orderly manner that would snowball to a hitch-free election,” he maintained.
Vanguard gathered that no fewer than 1 million Igbo residents in Cross River directly and indirectly participated in the election of the new President to pilot the affairs of the state chapter of the Ọhanaeze Ndigbo.
The election was conducted using the delegates system from the 15 chapters of Ọhanaeze Ndigbo across the 18 Council areas of Cross River.
Through this system, each of the chapters, with the exception of Calabar that had eight, came with five delegates each.