Though born into a very humble family, Chief Iwuanyanwu emerged as a politician, businessman and philanthropist to be reckoned with in Nigeria.

In 1960, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, along with a select brilliant few, were offered admission into the Federal school of Science, Lagos, where he studied Pure and Applied Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

He was drafted into the Biafra Research and Production (RaP) Directorate headed by Professor Benjamin Chukwuka Nwosu, a nuclear physicist.

Immediately after the Biafran war, Iwuanyanwu humanely volunteered to sweep the war-time mines for the Nigerian federal government.

[15] In June 1990, the then military president of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Babangida, lifted the ban he had placed on political activities.

Incidentally, General Ibrahim Babangida also lifted ban on old politicians of the first and second republics, and Adamu Ciroma entered the contest.

[17] The nullification of results and dissolution of the parties' executives practically threw Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and other politicians out of the contest, creating room for Alhaji Bashir Tofa to emerge as the NRC's presidential candidate.

[18] The military president of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the elections, citing widespread irregularities, but no evidence of fraud was offered to the Nigerian public.

[19] On 12 December 1995, the Nigerian military Government headed by General Sani Abacha, inaugurated a new eight-member National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON).

The next day, the Government set up a Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) to supervise the transition-to-civil rule process.

Other politicians were hesitant to show interest because of the fear that General Sani Abacha may have the intention of becoming a civilian president using the party.

Chief Iwuanyanwu made public his decision to run for senate at a UNCP meeting in Owerri on Monday, 19 January 1998.

On 11 August 1998, Abubakar inaugurated a 14-member Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headed by Justice Ephraim Akpata (rtd).

The PDP was created from the G-9 (Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Senator Francis Ellah, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Chief Bola Ige, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, Prof. Jerry Gana, Alhaji Sule Lamido and Mallam Adamu Ciroma) which later metamorphosed into the G-18 and then the fearless G-34, which had earlier petitioned Gen. Sani Abacha, advising him not to succeed himself.

[26] By late November 1998, Iwuanyanwu was adopted as the APP's consensus presidential candidate for the south-east in the presence of Chief Francis Arthur Nzeribe; Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu; Prof. Godwin Odenigwe; Chief Gbazueagu Nweke Gbazueagu (aspiring to be governor of Enugu State); Dr. I.C.

Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, former governor of old Abia State also vied for the presidential ticket, against the general consensus of south-east politicians to differ to Iwuanyanwu.

Thus, Chief Olu Falae of the AD emerged as the presidential flagbearer with Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi of the APP as his running mate.

Olusegun Obasanjo emerged as the presidential flagbearer for the PDP, with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as his running mate.

The then governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, commended the action, describing it as strategic for the Igbo.

Chief Iwuanyanwu became publicly involved in activities of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organization of the Igbo as from 1988.

The main objective of the Organization is to promote solidarity among its members for the sake of representing the political interests of the Igbo in Nigeria.

As Chairman of the Ohaneze Council of elders, Chief Iwuanyanwu was vocal with issues concerning the welfare of the Igbo.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze Ndigbo said: “There was a time in history, Iwuanyanwu was the highest employer of labour, at least in the entire East of the Niger.

Over 40 years ago, Sam Mbakwe, the former governor of Old Imo State conceived the idea of an International Cargo Airport at Owerri, it was Iwuanyanwu who made the highest donation of $2 million.

He built and donated for public service, the Hulder Iwuanyanwu Orphanage Home at Atta, Ikeduru in Imo State.

At a recent family meeting, she convinced me to build and donate to Nigeria Ten (10) Cancer Screening and Treatment Centres, one in each of the Six Geo-Political Zones, and one in each of the 5 South-Eastern States.

[44] Two volumes of the Biography of Chief Iwuanyanwu was authored by Jeff Unaegbu, Sam Chukwu and Chinedu Nsofor in 2022.