Hon. Orji Kanu Emmanuel, National President of the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, on Saturday joined other ADC leaders and prominent indigenes at the Akanu Ohafia New Yam Festival.
Ezeogo Akanu Ohafia, pouring blessings on Hon. Orji Emmanuel, during Akanu New Yam (iri ji) festival.
Hon Orji at the event
The colourful celebration, held in Akanu Ohafia, Abia State, brought together politicians, traditional rulers, community leaders and residents in a display of culture, thanksgiving and community unity.
Among the ADC chieftains at the event was the party’s Abia State governorship candidate, Hon. Barr. Kalu Kalu Agu.
Also present was prominent philanthropist and politician, Hon. Uko Ukole, the ADC candidate for Abia North Senatorial District.
The festival, which featured a rich display of Ohafia culture, also attracted the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, CFR (rtd.), who was represented at the event, alongside other dignitaries.
A major highlight of the event was the traditional blessing and prayers offered for Orji Kanu Emmanuel and other ADC candidates in the federal constituency by the traditional ruler of Akanu Ohafia.
Known locally as Iri-Ji Ohamoha, the Akanu Ohafia New Yam Festival is an annual cultural and thanksgiving celebration that marks the beginning of the yam harvest and serves as the community’s traditional New Year festival.
It is a time for the people to give thanks to God and honour their ancestral heritage for a successful farming season, with yam occupying a central place in the celebration as the revered “king of crops.”
The festival featured traditional royal dances, age-grade displays, colourful masquerades, native drums and community awareness marches.
Men, women and children turned out in vibrant traditional attire, transforming the community into a colourful showcase of Ohafia’s cultural identity and heritage.
Beyond the festivities, the gathering provided an opportunity for the people to reconnect with their roots, celebrate their shared identity and welcome another traditional year with thanksgiving and renewed hope.
