Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Senator John Azuta-Mbata on his election as President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.
This is contained in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, and issued on Saturday.
Atiku, the Waziri of Adamawa, also felicitated other members of the new executive expected to pilot the affairs of the prominent organisation.
He commended the peaceful and credible conduct of the election held in Enugu State on Friday, acknowledging the exemplary leadership of the South East Governors’ Forum in ensuring a free and fair election coupled with a smooth transition, adding that there were lessons to be learnt from the alliance forged by participants despite their political diversity.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) re-echoed the words of Ohanaeze Ndigbo that Azuta-Mbata’s victory “marks a significant moment for the organisation” and signals “a new era of progress, unity, and development.”
Atiku noted that the Azuta-Mbata-led executive are no strangers to the divisions that has plagued nation and charged them to not only work assiduously at uniting Ndigbo around shared values, but also work in tandem with other similar socio-cultural organisations in enthroning a new regime of unity.
He underscored the imperative of the promotion of tolerance and inter-communal relations to engender peace, a requisite for stability and development.
Atiku said the promotion of unity and peace is inevitable in the fostering of a united front to combat the “sorry state” of Nigeria’s socio-economic conditions and improve the well-being of Nigerians.
According to him, Azuta-Mbata’s experience as a lawmaker and administrator, together with the collective exposures of the new executive, put them in good stead to deliver on their mandate.
He wished Azuta-Mbata and his team a successful tenure to the benefit of Ndigbo in particular and Nigeria in general.
