By ALEX ENEBELI

The Njiko Igbo Forum (NIF), an affiliate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has finally felicitated Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu on his emergence as the President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

The President of the forum, Rev. Okechukwu Obioha, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Tuesday.

Obioha stated that the group resolved at the end of its consultation to endorse Iwuanyanwu’s emergence as a consensus.

NAN reports that the endorsement is coming more than a month after the inauguration of the elder statesman.

NAN recalls that many Igbo groups and individuals declined to recognise Iwuanyanwu, alleging that the process leading to his emergence lacked “proper consultation” with different Igbo stakeholders.

Obioha said: “Henceforth, we will not want to entertain any article or material at variance with our approval or position on the above subject matter.

“We do not want any distraction in any form or shape on the observant and pursuit of Peter Obi’s mandate given to him by a majority of Nigerians on February 25.

“Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu is the President General and we implore every Igbo person both home and in diaspora to acknowledge this fact”.

NAN reports that Iwuanyanwu, an Imo indigene, emerged a consensus candidate to succeed his fellow compatriot, the late Amb. George Obiozor, who passed on in December 2022.

The National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze had directed Imo to produce a credible replacement for Obiozor, in line with the doctrine of necessity after his demise. (NAN)

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