The president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Thursday, disclosed how Chief Edwin Clark and Chief Ayo Banjo influenced his decision to accept to lead Ohanaeze.

Chief Clark is the national leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) while Chief Ayo Adebanjo (95) is the leader of Afenifere.

According to Chief Iwuanyanwu, the two renowned nanogenarians’ activism in leading their respective nationals at 96 and 95 respectively challenged him to take up the leadership of Ohanaeze. Recall that Chief Iwuanyanwu was unanimously elected the Ohanaeze PG to serve off the era of Prof George Obiozor, erstwhile president general of Ohanaeze who died last year.

Chief Iwuanyanwu disclosed this in a statement issued by Dr Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze’s national publicity secretary, to felicitate Chief Clark as he marks his 96th birthday today.

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.”

Ogbonnia quotes Iwuanyanwu further as saying that ‘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’.

Chief 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.