The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi and some Igbo leaders on Tuesday paid a new year homage to an elder statesman and former Governor of old Anambra State, Sen. Jim Nwobodo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Igbo leaders who accompanied Obi include Sen. Ben Obi, Sen. Sam Egwu, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo and Sen. Gil Nnaji on the visit to the octogenarian in his ancestral home in Amechi, Enugu South Local Government Area of the state.
Receiving the visitors, Nwobodo described Obi as a “respectable and accepted” candidate by all.
The elder statesman said that Ndigbo deserved a better bargain in Nigeria from what they had been given in the past 56 years and urged Peter Obi to be steadfast in his pursuit.
The onetime Minister of Sports said that he felt great about the visit and thanked God for the mark of respect the visitors gave to him.
“I’m no longer just Jim Nwobodo, the politician; I’m an elder statesman, that’s why they came to see me, and I pray for them. God will make things easy for us this time around.
“This young man (Peter Obi), I have known him when he was governor, and we have been friends, and I believe that God willing, because you have to put God first, whatever we have asked for him, God will do it.
“Obi is a candidate who is respected and acceptable by all. I have always said that we want to know our position in Nigeria, are we strangers? We are the people who formed this country called Nigeria.
“Zik of Africa was there, and he will be shaking and angry in his grave that what he fought for had not been met. So we still pray to God that one day an Igbo man will be the president of Nigeria,” he said.
Earlier, Obi said that they were in Nwobodo’s house strictly for New Year’s good wishes.
“This is not the first time we are coming here, we just came to wish him the best of the New Year, healthy, fruitful years ahead.
“We will come back to discuss politics and the way forward, and he will pray for us,” Obi said.
In his remarks, Sen. Ben Obi described Nwobodo as the “Godfather” of South-East politics, which he said was the reason for the courtesy visit.
“We decided to visit him as our leader and father, we have not come here to discuss politics today at all, it is just to wish him well as we agreed on Dec. 26.
“That’s why you can see that the number is not ordinarily what it should be. It is just for us to come and say happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, and that’s what we have done.
“The delegation will be complete to brief him on the issue of the Nike Lake declaration of Mr Peter Obi into the African Democratic Congress (ADC). This visit has been an annual ritual,” Ben Obi said.
