Ambassador George Obiozor has emerged new President General of the Igbo socio-cultural group Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
However, it is not clear if he will succeed the outgoing president Nnia Nwodo since Engineer Chidi Ibeh, a former commissioner in Imo State, has since Saturday being announced the president-elect of another faction of the socio-cultural group.
Ibeh, a holder of national award, Member of the Federal Republic, MFR, emerged during an election organized by the Prince Richard Ozobu-led election committee.
Also elected to work with Ibeh were Dimm Uche Okwukwu, Deputy President General. Okwukwu from Rivers State is the incumbent Secretary-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization.
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro from Abia State was elected Secretary General.
Ozobu told journalists on Saturday that the election was held in Enugu under strict observance of COVID-19 protocol.
In the second election that held at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri on Sunday, January 10, Channels Television reported that Ambassador George Obiozor scored 304 votes to beat two other contestants to emerge the president-elect
There are reports that the other candidates boycotted the poll, described as fraudulent.
Present at the election on Sunday were the Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo and Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State; Minister of Labour Chris Ngige; Minister of Science and technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; Senator Andy Uba; former President General of Ohanaeze, Ndigbo Gary Igariwe; ArchBishop of the Enugu Province, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma and a host of other senators and lawmakers from the southeast and south-south.
Obiozor, 78, is a professor of political science and former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States between 2004 and 2008.
Obiozor studied at the Institute of African Studies, and Albert Schweitzer College.
He graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1969, and from Columbia University with a Ph.D. in International Relations.
He was also between 1999 to 2003 Ambassador of Nigeria to the State of Israel, and high commissioner to the republic of Cyprus.
He was a senior Research Fellow at Nigerian Institute of International Affairs and became the Director-General of the Institute.
