The recent passage of both the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Engr.Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Iwuanyanwu(Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) and the Distinguished Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah(Ebubechukwuzo) ,no doubt,took most of us by surprise and left us wondering what was happening. No one saw it coming. Both leaders were busy performing the duties of their respective offices when the cold hands of death approached.
Both men , despite their age differences(Iwuanyanwu 82 and Ubah 53) ,had a lot in common. For instance,Both are Igbo. Iwuanyanwu hails from Umuohii Atta, Ikeduru LGA of Imo State and Ubah is a native of Otolo Nnewi in Nnewi North LGA of Anambra State.Both men were born in the month of September. Iwuanyanwu on the 4th of September,I942 while Ubah came into the world on 3rd of September,1971. Both men died in the month of July. While Iwuanyanwu left us on Thursday 25th July,2024 , Ubah died on Saturday 27th July ,2024. Both men were politicians.. Iwuanyanwu aspired to be the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on three occasions in 1991,1995 and 1999, although without success. Ubah has aspired to be the Governor of Anambra State on many occasions before he chose to go to the Senate in 2019. He was in his second sojourn at the Red Chambers before his demise. Both men own newspaper publishing outfits. Iwuanyanwu owns Champion Newspapers while Ubah owns The Authority Newspaper. Both men are football club owners. Iwuanyanwu acquired former Spartans FC and renamed it Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC while Ubah ecquired former Gabros International FC and renamed it FC Ifeanyi Ubah.
Interestingly,the similarities did not end there. Both Iwuanyanwu and Ubah wanted peace in the South East of Nigeria and were therefore part of the political solution to let the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra,Mazi Nnamdi Kanu off the hook. Both men have visited the IPOB leader in the Custody of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) at different periods as widely reported in our national dailies. Both men wanted the best for Ndigbo and Nigeria. Both men were entrepreneurs, businessmen, investors , philanthropists and employers of labour and empowered so many Igbos and Nigerians economically. Iwuanyanwu did his own through his construction companies as an engineer,his football club,his newspaper outfit and many more.Ubah did his own empowerment through his popular Capital Oil and Gas,his football club , Authority Radio and Authority publishing company and so on.
IMPLICATIONS OF IWUANYANWU’S DEATH
For the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu,his passage comes with a lot of implications both for Ndigbo and Nigerians at large.
For the uninitiated,the position of President General and indeed other offices in Ohanaeze Ndigbo is rotational among the Igbo-speaking states of Abia, Anambra,Anioma(Delta State),Ebonyi,Enugu ,Imo and Rivers.Chief Iwuanyanwu was tapped by Igbo stakeholders to step into the shoes of Late, Ambassador( Prof. )George Achulike Obiozor from Awommanma,Oru East LGA of Imo State who was elected for a four-year tenure ,but who incidentally died in office. Since it was still the turn of Imo state as Obiozor served for two years in office before his passage,Chief Iwuanyanwu was ratified as Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General to complete the Imo state tenure ,as the next President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group will come from Rivers State in January 2025.
Iwuanyanwu’s home call means that Imo state still has about five months from July to December 2024 to produce his successor.
Imo state is not lacking in men who can take up the position and midwife the transition process of 2025 Ohanaeze elections.. Former National president of the Academic Staff Union of Universites(ASUU),
Prof.Ukachukwu Awuzie,former National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),Prof Maurice Iwu,top academic,Prof.Chidi Osuagwu,former Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,,Dr Joe Nwaorgu,former Inspector General of Police,Sir Mike Mbana Okiro,former Presidents of Igbo Think Tank(Aka Ikenga),Chief (Barr.)Goddy Anayo Uwazuruike,Dr.Chris Asoluka,former Imo state governor,Chief Achike Uzoma Udenwa,former minister for information,Prof Walter Ofonagoro, former Ohanaeze Caretaker leader,Chief Ralph Obioha ,erudite law scholar,Prof .Nnamdi Obiaraeri ,former minister for Education,Prof Fabian Osuji and many more are more than capable to lead Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Again,Ndigbo will miss Chief Iwuanyanwu’s diplomatic shuttles and advocasy in Lagos State following the demolition of properties owned by Igbo traders and residents there. His passage may also put a lull on the current request for an additional state to be carved out in the South East geo-political for parity and equity. Chief Iwuanyanwu,alongside the Deputy Speaker, Federal House of Representatives,Rt.Hon.Benjamin Kalu as and many Igbo leaders contributed in no small ways to see the materialization of the appointment of an Igbo for the first time after a long time,Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla as Chief of Naval Staff as well as the signing of the long- sought-after South East Development Commission (SEDC) bill into law by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR .
IMPLICATIONS OF IFEANYI UBAH ‘S DEMISE
For Senator Ifeanyi Ubah the Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will definitely miss him as he was primed to take another shot in the Governorship seat of his state on its platform and was very deep in his consultations for the position before death came calling. Ubah recently crossed over to the APC from the Young Progressives Party(YPP).What his death means is that the APC will now have to look for another heavy weight popular politician who can challenge incumbent governor of Anambra State and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ,His Excellency,Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo,CFR, in the forthcoming elections in the state scheduled to hold in 2025.
Another implication is that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio will now have to declare the Anambra South Seat in the Red Chambers vacant to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conduct a bye-election within 90 days of such declaration to fill the vacant position. The new Senator to represent Anambra South Senatorial District comprising of Aguata,Orumba North,Orumba South,Nnewi North Nnewi South,Ekwusigo and Ihiala LGAs will have about two years and ten months to do his or her job.
What this also means is that the Labour Party(LP) ,the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA),the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP),the All Progressives Congress,(APC) and Senator Ubah’s former party ,the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and other political parties all have the opportunity of occupying the Anambra South Senatorial seat if and when the bye-election is conducted by INEC.
May the souls of these two great Igbo sons and patriotic Nigerian leaders find eternal repose in God’s bosom, Amen.
Hillary Ochiabuto,a public affairs commentator wrote in from Umuahia ,Abia State Nigeria.
He can be reached on the email: kinghillary4u@gmail.com
