A former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and ex-Minister of Information, John Nwodo, has turned down his appointment as a member of the Advisory Council to Governor Peter Mbah’s Gubernatorial Campaign Council in Enugu State.
Naija News reports that Nwodo conveyed his decision in a letter dated October 28, 2026, addressed to the governor.
The former minister said he discovered that his name had been included in a media advertisement of the council’s members shortly after returning from the United States, where he had visited his children.
While thanking the governor for the honour, Nwodo said he “most respectfully declines to hold such an office.”
He explained that as immediate past President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, he swore to remain non-partisan, adding that even out of office, he must remain a father to all.
Nwodo stressed that his decision had nothing to do with Mbah personally, disclosing that he holds no party membership card and intends to keep it that way for the rest of his life.
He said this would allow him to intervene as a father figure in disputes among Igbo politicians, adding that his doors remained open to all politicians in the state for counsel on unity.
The former Ohanaeze leader asked the governor to direct his aides to remove his name from all party notices and the campaign council list.
Nwodo’s rejection is the latest in a series of controversies over the composition of campaign councils in the state.
The Catholic Diocese of Enugu had earlier condemned the inclusion of its Auxiliary Bishop, Ernest Obodo, in the All Progressives Congress Enugu State Campaign Council.
Obodo, who is also the Apostolic Administrator of Abakaliki Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Enugu, was listed as Director of the party’s “Faith-Based (Christians) Directorate.”
The list also included other Catholic priests and the Anglican Bishop of Oji River Diocese, Ikechukwu Egbuonu.
In a statement by its Chancellor and Secretary, Rev. Fr. Wilfred Agubuchie, the diocese described the inclusion as “unauthorised, misleading and unacceptable.”
It said the bishop was listed “without his knowledge or consent,” describing it as a “malicious act of misrepresentation and defamation.”
The diocese insisted that the Church does not engage in partisan politics or endorse parties, and demanded the immediate removal of the bishop’s and other priests’ names, warning of legal action against further misuse.
The Enugu State chapter of CAN, through its Secretary, Innocent Offor, also dissociated itself from the list, saying it “did not authorise, endorse, or consent to” the inclusion of its leadership.
Join the conversation
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.