Joe Nwodo, a former governorship aspirant in Enugu State, is dead.
Nwodo died in a London hospital after a long battle with an undisclosed ailment.
The late Nwodo was a brother to the 9th President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo.
He was poised to contest and win the 1991 governorship election on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention in Enugu state.
Upon his disqualification, his younger brother, Okwesilieze Nwodo, was asked to run, and was subsequently elected governor of Enugu State in 1993.
Also, he was a presidential aspirant who ran neck and neck with Malam Adamu Ciroma at the NRC convention in Port Harcourt.
His other brother is Nnia Nwodo, former minister of aviation under President Shehu Shagari, and minister of information under President Abdusalami Abubakar.
A Facebook post by a veteran journalist, who is very close to the Nwodos, Mr Ike Abonyi, dwelled somewhat on the life and times of the late Nwodo.
In the post, titled: “Heaven Opens as ‘Agada gbachiri Uzo’ is Gone”, Abonyi wrote:
“A good man left this earth yesterday night to heaven. A man whose heart is as huge as his physical size, a man of all people irrespective of size and status. An extraordinary intellectual, a constitutional lawyer par excellence.
“I announce to you the death of Dr Joe Nwodo, the patriarch of the Nwodo dynasty.
“Recall the NRC Presidential aspirant in the stillborn third republic in 90s, the man who took Port Harcourt by storm with grammar.
“Recall also the gubernatorial aspirant of old Enugu state who was disqualified at the last minute and his junior brother Dr Okwesilize Nwodo took his campaign clothe few days to election and became Governor.
“Dr Joe is the Senior man of the Nwodo family of Ukehe, Enugu state, senior brother to former Governor Okwesilize Nwodo and Immediate past President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, chief John Nnia Nwodo.
“He died last night in London after a protracted illness.
“You were the early Nsukka elite who encouraged and mentored me in Journalism in Lagos in the 90s. We will miss you, rest in peace.
“This is just to respond to barrage of calls from people especially younger journalists whose knowledge of the Nwodos is only on Okwesilize and Nnia.”
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