Following the controversy that trailed  the election of Ohaneze Ndigbo President General, an Activist lawyer from Rivers State, Uche Nnam Okwukwu, has emerged as the new President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

Barrister Okwukwu emerged at the organisation’s convention held in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State on  Friday, January 10 2025.

Daily Echoes Media gathered that it was at the heat of the last minutes controversies which trailed the election campaigns, that Okwukwu emerged as the consensus candidate.

With his emergence as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, he is to lead the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation worldwide.

The General Assembly of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, according to a statement by the returning officer, Dr. Achi Achi, said the new President – General, Okwukwu, was returned unopposed at the convention.

A report in Daily Post quoted the returning officer as saying Okwukwu “was elected by the progressive movement in Igboland.”

In his acceptance speech, the  New Ohanaeze Ndigbo President Pledged:

“to defend the interest of all Igbos and uphold the tenets of the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.”

Okwukwu, also  thanked the delegates, saying that he humbly accepted the enormous responsibility imposed on him to lead the Igbo race “at this moment in our history.”

Meanwhile, the newly elected President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said his top priorities include engaging the Federal Government on the unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, and restructuring of Nigeria.”

He promised to “unite fractured nerves and bring the Igbo together as one indivisible family.”

He also pledged to defend the Igbo nation. “I shall live up to your high expectations,” he reportedly said.

On how he intends to resolve the travails of the Igbo race, the new President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo said he would “meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to work for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu and other political prisoners, and ensure de-criminalization of political exiles to enable them return home to join the process of reconstruction.”

“We shall encourage the federal and state governments to engage all agitators to address grievances so as to bring a just closure to issues,” Okwukwu said.

He also said he would “engage the Federal Government in dredging, modernization and restoration of the Igweocha/Port-Harcourt and other coastal ports for the Igbo/East and others, together with the dredging of the Azumini to Opobo Imo River basin to the coast, in order to recreate a pole of export-import industrialization and development in Igboland/East, down to the Middle-Belt and Maiduguri.

“I will work for the creation of the Anioma State as an equalization state for the Igbo, and for additional Aba, Adada, Etiti, Orlu or other states in case the balance is further disrupted,” he said.

On restructuring, Okwukwu promised to mobilise the Igbo for the agenda, noting that all other ethnic nationalities had ready templates, but no recent Ohanaeze leadership had had any courage to address the issue.

“I will work hand in hand with critical Igbo stakeholders to advance the unity of the Igbo nation, and ensure that Igbo communities in Benue, Edo etc, are fully incorporated into the Ohanaeze family memberships, modernize the Igbo language as one of the major languages of global commerce, culture, science and technology,” he pledged.

We gathered that it was at the heat of the last minutes controversies which trailed the election campaigns, that Okwukwu emerged as the consensus candidate.

Daily Echoes Media gathered that at that point, his strongest campaign factor became the argument that he was “the only independent contestant.”

Given the way Uche Nnam Okwukwu finally emerged the Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General unopposed, it may be right to say that his campaign of independent candidacy aligned properly with the current sentiment of today’s Ohaneze Ndigbo.