Features
With OAN, Peter Obi’s structure is getting home, gradually, steadily!
Dan Ulasi, has always found his way at the heart of Nigerian political firmaments, one way or the other. He was once the Chairman of the United Nigerian Peoples Party (UNPP), in Anambra State. That was in the days of Nigeria’s military despot, Sani Abacha. He also turned out at another time as the factional state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
One visible element, which probably gave him that edge to gain some recognition in the scheme of things politically is his eloquence. With his gift of the garb, the ex-Biafran war hero, could easily sell snow to the Eskimos, as the saying goes.
Never mind what he does with the position, because the jury will still be out whether it has brought happiness or sorrow to his people and immediate environment. After all, in a shark-infested political terrain like Nigeria, all are not only useful, but welcome, depending on what one is looking for.
In recent times, Ulasi, who somehow, seems to have found his way into the heart of the PDP’s presidential campaign arrangement – it is difficult to know whether on official capacity or just a mere megaphone, as he is wont to – has been up and about with his talent.
Virulent as ever, his target this time, is Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, now presidential candidate of the Labour Party. He seems to spare no kind words for the former governor, who incidentally, comes from the same state with him and who, in the manner of Nigerian politics, ought to be his product to sell to the world and Nigeria in particular.
However, that seems not to be the case. Ulasi, sees Obi’s effort as a waste of time. He is sure the LP’s candidate is wasting his time, for the lack of “structure,” of course echoing the same sentiments as others before him that the former governor, lacked the reach beyond the South East, where he comes from and would not make in-road into the other parts of the country.
Again, the jury is out on the veracity of this assertion. It is obvious that Ulasi, might be sneering at the various road shows in all parts of the country – Nasarawa, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Enugu, Ibadan, Abeokuta, et al – as inconsequential. So, never mind what the true picture really is regarding whether Obi is a mirage or substantial.
However, what seems quite significant is that Nigerians, especially the youthful segments of them, seem to have been imbued the more by the din surrounding the Obi movement. Each attempt by naysayers, seems to have thrown more wood into the fire to enliven their spirit rather than dampen it in what seems a determination to chart a new existential course in the Nigeria, where they had hitherto been denied a voice, but which they seem determined to rediscover and use to shape a new future.
The global nature of the Obi momentum, which echoes seem to have reverberated outside the former governor’s immediate environment of Anambra than within, was captured by Ulasi and his likes as lack of home base support.
In fact, Ulasi, had dared anyone to point at one influential Igbo person behind Obi in the project, a point, which he seemed to rely on to adumbrate his position that it was a lone pursuit. But, what he seems to have overlooked is that that the new political edifice Obi is erecting is not being erected on the foundation of the old order where people like him provide the concrete base but on the youths providing a stronger and more enduring platforms.
Yet, each day, Nigerian youths, seem to be announcing that looking out for one big man with a massive political empire or financial base or a group of men of timber and caliber to stand behind him or even hijack the process, would be akin to gathering the axiomatic ant-infested faggots. It would mean that Obi is clearly not ready to break loose from the old order.
This is clearly a new bottom-up approach, purely founded on a youth initiative. All Ulasi needs to do is look behind and see what is happening even in the neighbouring compounds, if not his own. He might just find that his children are holding meetings under his nose for the same purpose of making Obi happen in Nigerian presidency.
Right now, while he and his old political camp seem to still be on the watchout for one godfather from the Anambra State, Obi’s campaign is about to dissolve into the 21 local governments of the state, such that the next knock he would hear on his door could be the neighbour’s children preaching to him on the way forward.
He might just learn too quickly too soon that there will not be sacks of Ghana Must Go with the telltale signs of its illicit contents, to titilate anyone for endorsement, now that youths full of vigour and burning with passion, having taken over with the simple message to him – you’re either in or you give way, in their determination for a new order.
I just finished speaking with one Vincent Ezewuzie, the National Chairman of Obidient Ambassadors Of Nigeria (OAN), one out of the many self-financing, self-sustaining outfits in Nigeria and that is the message, I’m getting. Not that it is new, but it is getting louder and the implications more apparent.
He was briefing me on the planning of a mega meeting in Awka, the Anambra State capital for September 23, for the purpose of engineering a mechanism for rousing all residents of the state, be they natives or non-natives to the Obi presidency project and how members, drawn from the communities and wards of the 21 local governments of the state would be integrated into it.
“We will not only deliberate on the work at hand but farm out duties. Nobody in this country should be waiting for anybody to mobilise him or preach to him towards changing what is on ground today. Anybody in that category must be in love with suffering. Beyond the fact that Obi is from Anambra State, there is nothing else that is peculiar. It is the same suffering that everybody else is going through in the country,” he said.
Echoing the sentiment, Kaykaylen Ebelendu, Anambra South Senatorial Zone National Coordinator, stressed: “We the Obidient Ambassadors Of Nigeria, Aguata Chapter led by the Coordinator JC Chinegbu are mobilising already. Last weekend, we constituted a five-man representatives from all the wards in Aguata Local Government, including non-indigenes.
“Yes, we are organising for the bigger meeting in Awka in two weeks time, on September 23. This is totally self-financing. We are the ones brainstorming and taxing ourselves on we can contribute to chart the way forward on the coming elections and how to achieve victory for Obi, who, though our brother but clearly the preferred candidate of Nigerians at this time.
“We are a well recognised body or structure for the evangelisation and projection of Mr. Peter Obi. We are deliberating on virtually all matters relating to the project, from printing of banners, making of costumes and insignia to going for road work. We are not leaving anything to chance. Nothing is being ignored. All we want is to join hands to secure the future.”
In the words of Chief Joseph Okonkwo, pioneer Chairman of the PDP in Anambra State, he tries to capture the essence of the activities from the likes of OAN and the entire massive movement trailing Obi as well as the equally massive resistance being mounted against it, thus: “One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up instead of what they have to gain.”
He added: “The dialectics of the game of politics has changed, hence a new social order. There is complete youth takeover of politics in Nigeria. It has become the trend and the norm. This is what we have seen in most parts of the world. Liz Truss has just emerged the new Prime Minister in Britain at 47, William Ruto has just won and is taking over in Kenya at 55.
“The Obi movement is an armada. They are made up of very powerful and determined men and women all over the country. They are facing a bleak, nebulous future and that sad reality is what is driving them. Trying to stop or truncate that movement, will lead to a lot of woes for the country.”
13 September 2022
Seyi Adewunmi, President of the Lagos Country Club (LCC), launched into his third term in office on Tuesday, with the eternal words with which William Shakespeare depicted the pleas of King Richard 11 to British noblemen at daggers-drawn in his forecourt, some 431 years ago – forgive, forget, reconcile and be agreed.
It was his way of offering his olive branch to seek healing for members still lacerated with old wounds of the bitter battle for the soul of the club, which ended up in courtrooms after failure to settle it inside the games-room, the tennis courts and other troubleshooting arenas.
Flanked by his wife, Ify, whose contribution he lavishly acknowledged, Adewunmi, at his inauguration at the club’s main hall, apparently recalling the incident, which nearly crippled affairs at the family club, said: “To those who are still aggrieved, I speak to you now, directly and without condition. Whatever the disagreement, the Club is bigger than any single dispute, and its future is far more important than any lingering bitterness.
“Whatever the words that were said or the decisions that felt unjust, I invite you, today, to lay it down. No dispute is worth dividing us. I extend to you my open hand and my open heart. This is your club. It needs you. I need you.
“The chapter we are about to write is better written together and it MUST be written. So please sheathe your swords. Come home. The gates are open, the seats are ready, and the work is too important for any of us to sit it out.”
The President, who was full of praises for the club’s Board of Trustees, was particularly enthused with the contributions of Aare Kola Oyefeso, the leader of the exulted body, whom he described as “a conscience and compass of this club,” for donating his wealth of experience.
Hear him: “To our Board of Trustees, and to Chief Kola Oyefeso in particular, I offer my deepest respect. You have been the still, small voice of wisdom in the seasons of noise.
“Every time this Presidency needed an elder’s hand on the shoulder, you were there. The Management Council and the Board have not merely coexisted during my tenure, we have collaborated, and the Club is better for it. I am indeed very grateful sir.
Expressing similar gratitude to other members of the Management Council Officers and the Chairmen of the various Sections and their Committees as well as the members, he enjoined them to prepare for the task ahead.
He added: “I see you all. I greet you all. And I am profoundly glad to be standing here, still standing, before you today. Let me begin with a confession. When I first stood in this position three years ago, I made promises. Big promises. The kind that sound magnificent from a podium and look somewhat different at seven in the morning when the contractor has not shown up and the cheque has not cleared….but I did not run away.
“I did not make excuses. I did not hide behind procedure or blame my predecessors. I rolled up my sleeves, as you well know I am rather fond of doing, and I worked. Two terms. Hundreds of meetings. Thousands of decisions. One attempted character assassination which, I am glad to report, the character survived.
“And today, you have returned me unopposed for a third and final term. Not because I cannot be challenged. Not because the road ahead is smooth.
“But because you looked at my record, you weighed me as a man, you made your assessment, and you made your verdict. I receive this mandate with the full weight of gratitude and the full fire of purpose. Lagos Country Club — your President is back. And this time, we will finish the work.”
He also expressed gratitude for various members of the club, who had supported in many ways to keep it going, recalling particularly the donation of equipment worth millions of naira by Tunji Amosu, the Vice President of the club, saying such a selfless gesture defined the idea behind LCC as a family club.
Hear him: “He (Amosu) reached into his own pocket, deep into his pocket I might add, and donated equipment worth millions of Naira to our new clinic. Millions. I want to be clear: this was not government allocation. This was not a corporate write-off. This was one man saying, ‘I believe in this Club enough to invest my own resources in its wellbeing.’ That is the spirit of Lagos Country Club at its finest, and it deserves to be celebrated.
“But let me also say that greatness is not only measured in millions. Gifts are never less precious than the grand gesture, and for this reason, I want to honour those who gave what they had, and gave it gladly. Confidence Yunusa (D12848) donated pillows to our clinic, and before you smile, those pillows matter. They speak of someone who thought about the comfort of a sick fellow member on a sick bed. That is love in action.
“Also, Femi Oduwole (D14027) gave us a water dispenser. Clean water. To all who gave in any measure: this Club sees you, this Management Council thanks you, the Board of Trustees appreciates you and history, as I speak is recording you.”
By Sunny Igboanugo
Despite consistent usage, it has remained a powerful reality, the age-long saying that the drum sounds for a great man – in life and at death. Rather than becoming a tiring cliché its reality continues to emerge as demonstrable evidence from time to time.
So, when on Sunday, October 26, 2025, the cap lowered on the head of Ben-Chuks Nwosu – astute lawyer, consummate politician, inimitable humanist, gifted public speaker and foremost community leader, it was not just another historic event, many of which have trailed him over the years, but a clear statement on the persona of the former Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly – one meant to capture his import as a man who has conquered his territory and etched his name permanently on the sands of time.
The versatile lawyer and politician, was among the influential figures assembled for special recognition by Igwe Keneth Orizu 111, Monarch of the Nnewi ancient kingdom – one of the iconic traditional stools in Anambra State – to mark his 100 years of age and 62 years on the throne, as one of the features of the historic event.
The monarch, the oldest and longest reigning king in Nigeria was emphatic on why Nwosu made that list – it was an acknowledgement of his positive contributions, not only to the development of the ancient town, but to the advancement of humanity in general through his engagements in many aspects, especially his chosen career of law and his vocation as a politician.
Ostensibly, the royal father wanted to make that statement both as part of the records of his reign and to demonstrate the essence of the biblical saying – to whom much is given, much is expected – and how this son on of Nnewi land had over time, fits that bill perfectly.
For instance, not only the monarch, the people of Anambra, if not the conscious world, bore and still bear witnesses to how, the primus inter pares of the Anambra legislature, Nwosu unsheathed his sword from the scabbards to confront the political hounds that attacked the state at that time, in defence of his territory – democracy.
The echoes of that historic period in the state, have continued to reverberate across the firmament, while the imprimatur has continued to be evident in demonstrably bold terms even now, as the doyen has again donated himself to yet a fresh battle – that of rescuing the people of Anambra from the abyss of despair as the state approaches the edge of the precipice where the current minders are driving it, through bad policies and unwholesome politics.
Currently, the Chief of Staff (CoS) of the John Chuma Nwosu (JCN) Campaign Council, the ex-lawmaker, has become a central voice for the new advocacy in Anambra by JCN – the man, who has taken it as duty to rescue the state and reverse the evil political vehicle, fast galloping towards that inevitable destruction.
Ndubuisi Nwobu, Deputy Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), at the hosting of members of the council at a reception organised at his Nnewi country home, shortly after the event at the Igwe’s palace, spared no words in acknowledging this aspect of the former Speaker’s persona, particularly his contributions to both politics and human development in Anambra State and beyond.
Nwosu takes traditional greetings with Igwe Orizu
For Nwobu, himself one of the biggest names in Anambra political arena, bearing the scars of its different political wars, it was a recognition of a fellow warrior in the battlefield and a colleague in arms, whose contributions are vital for the mission at hand.
The former Chairman of Awka South Local Government Area and former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who represented the governorship candidate at the event was emphatic in guaranteeing that Nwosu would neither relent or be deterred by the arsenal of war being assembled by the anti-democratic, anti-progressive and clearly negative forces in the state, who seem intent on relentlessly asphyxiating it of life.
Hear him: “There is greater work ahead and I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll live up to expectation, because your passion for the service to mankind is exceptional. Whatever you set your mind on, you pursue it with so much gusto and vigour, as if your life depends on it. For you, there’s always no going back.
“Congratulations. The entire campaign council greets you. We thank you for what you have done and have no hesitation in our belief that with your contributions to this onerous task, we’re going to triumph. Remain strong. May the good Lord continue to strengthen you in the name of Jesus.”
Before Nwobu spoke, Prof. Zelinjo Igweze, Director, Women Mobilisation and Dr. CC Okeke, Deputy Director General (DDG) Political Matters, had also spoken in the same manner, paying glowing tribute to the Nnewi-born political juggernaut.
Ike Iwenofu, accomplished Engineer and Director General of the council, had earlier in his tribute on behalf of the members, also acknowledged Nwosu’s towering profile and invaluable contributions to the campaign efforts.
He wrote: “The entire John Chuma Nwosu Campaign Council bursts with joy as we celebrate our indefatigable Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Barr. Benchuks Nwosu, on this glorious day of honour and recognition by His Royal Majesty, Igwe Dr. Kenneth Orizu III of Nnewi, during the historic Centenary Birthday Celebration.
“This royal honour is not just a mark of distinction, but a celebration of character — a recognition of your steadfast loyalty, uncommon humility, and tireless service to humanity and our great movement. You have continued to distinguish yourself as a pillar of strength and a shining example of leadership, loyalty, and integrity. Your honour today reflects the values we hold dear — service, excellence, and commitment to the greater good.
“We rejoice with you, Ogbalike Nwachinemelu, and pray that this recognition opens even greater doors of favour, grace, and impact in your journey ahead. A thousand cheers to a worthy son, a noble leader, and a loyal ally!”
Nwosu with Nwobu
But for the man of the moment, the event evoked memories decked in family history, particularly depicting a family of warriors, whose essence was captured in the roles they played in defence of the territorial integrity of the Obuofia Nnewi enclave in the years of yore.
He tells the story: “My father, Nwoke Modo was a warrior and it became his assignment to move from Obuofia to wage wars against our attackers. Where we live now is called Agawana, meaning war trenches. So, Eze Ugbuonyanta, the great grandfather of the person that gave me this title today, named him Ogbalike. That means, when things get tough, he is invited.
“So, when this came up about a year ago, I told the Igwe that I had a senior brother, but they said the knew the history, but that this was given to me in recognition of the special role I played as Speaker, particularly during the impeachment saga (of former governor, Peter Obi.)
“They said I proved some genetic trails when I did not betray him as then Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Council and I did not betray Dr. Dozie Ikedife, who was the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. So, this has been in the making for more than a year. In line with tradition, I had to let my elder brother know and he gave his consent that I could go ahead and take our grandfather’s title. That’s what I have done today. Since he was a warrior, they felt that the role I had played in Anambra politics akin to that of a warrior, hence the title.”
With this historic aspect, it might no longer be surprising to anyone the line the former Speaker is toeing, why his battle-weary body is lacerated with the scars of war and why his path both in politics, law and other endeavours is strewn with courage and forthrightness. It lives in the family – an acknowledgement that Ogbalike Nnewi is not just a title, it is history!
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