Former Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi, on Tuesday paid a New Year homage to elder statesman and former Governor of old Anambra State, Sen. Jim Nwobodo.
Obi was accompanied by prominent Igbo leaders, including Sen. Ben Obi, Sen. Sam Egwu, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo and Sen. Gil Nnaji.
The delegation visited Nwobodo at his ancestral home in Amechi, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Receiving the visitors, Nwobodo described Obi as a “respectable and acceptable” candidate and urged him to remain steadfast in his political pursuit.
He said Ndigbo deserved a better deal in Nigeria than what they had received in the past decades, adding that the visit gave him a sense of honour and encouragement.
“I am no longer just Jim Nwobodo the politician; I am now an elder statesman, and that is why you came to see me.
“I pray that God will make things easy for us this time around.
“This young man (Obi), I have known him since he was governor. We have been friends, and I believe that, God willing, whatever we have asked for him, God will do it.
“Obi is a candidate who is respectable and acceptable by all.
“We must ask ourselves what our position is in Nigeria. Are we strangers? We are among those who formed this country called Nigeria.
“We still pray that one day an Igbo man will be President of Nigeria,” Nwobodo said.
Earlier, Obi said the visit was strictly to convey New Year goodwill.
“This is not the first time we are coming here. We came to wish him a happy New Year, good health and fruitful years ahead.
“We will return at another time 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, noting that the visit was purely a courtesy call.
“We came to visit our leader and father. There was no political discussion today.
“We came simply to wish him a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
“The full delegation will come later to brief him on recent political developments,” he said.