Ex-Lagos lawmaker sets agenda for new Ohanaeze Ndigbo president-general

A former two-term Lagos lawmaker, Sir Jude Idimogu, has urged Sen. John Azuta-Mbata, the new President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide to make Igbo voice heard in Nigeria’s political circles.

Idimogu, who represented Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II in the Lagos State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2023, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

The lawmaker, who is also Deputy Apex Leader, Ndigbo in Lagos State APC, said that the new leadership of the Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation had a lot to do to change political narrative for Igbos in Nigeria.

Congratulating the newly elected leader on successful election, Idimogu said: “I challenge you (Azuta-Mbata) to ensure that Igbos are heard in the highest level of Nigeria’s politics .

“I challenge you to bring Igbos together for them to have a formidable voice. It is high time Igbos also had a meaningful say in the activities in the nation, politically.

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“We cannot continue to complain of marginalisation or sit on the fence.

“We should take steps and move forward to support whoever we think will take Igbo matters seriously, and those that will have Igbos objectives and goodness in their minds.”

The former lawmaker said he hoped the new leader of Ohaneze Ndigbo would surpass the achievements of the past leaders of the group.

He said the election of Azuta-Mbata, who hails from Rivers, showed that there were a lot of Igbos outside the South East.

“The President-General’s primary duty is to represent the interests of all Igbo people within and outside of Nigeria,” Idimogu said.

NAN recalls that Azuta-Mbata, a former Senator, who represented Rivers East at the National Assembly from 1999 to 2007, emerged the new President-General of the Pan-Igbo socio-cultural group at its meeting in Enugu on Friday.

His election followed the demise of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the immediate past president of the organisation, who died on July 25, 2024 at age 82 and was buried on Nov. 1, 2024.