A COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED BY THE AMALGAMATED NGBOEJEOGU YOUTH (A.N.Y) CONCERNING THE 2022 OHAUKWU LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL CHAIRMANSHIP POSITION AND ITS CONTEST
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We the Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth, have been informed of the decision of Ebonyi State Government to zone the 2022 Chairmanship position of Ohaukwu Local Government Area to Ezzamgbo political bloc.
1. We believe that this step emanated from the inadequacy of information available to the State Government concerning the political arrangements in Ohaukwu Local Government Area. We have therefore, resolved for purposes of clarification and rectification of the said zoning decision of the government, to make this communique.
2. We appreciate Ebonyi State Governor, His Excellency Engr. David Nweze Umahi, FNSE, FNATE, for his leadership sagacity which has benefited Ngboejeogu clan. We wish to reaffirm our solidarity and support to him and his Government.
3. The Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth as a body in Ngboejeogu clan, committed to the responsibility of maintaining peaceful and harmonious co-existence among our people and between our people and sister clans in Ohaukwu Local Government Area, with due respect to our duty of ensuring that Ngboejeogu clan continues to maintain her supportive stance to the government of Ebonyi State, under the leadership of His Excellency Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi, and in acknowledgement of our position as relevant stakeholders in the business of governance of our dear State and Ohaukwu Local Government Area in particular, sincerely wish to make our position known with respect to the choice of the candidate for Ohaukwu Local Government Council Chairmanship position in the forthcoming 2022 Council Elections. We therefore state as follows:
i. That right from the creation of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, we have an existing rotational order upon which the decision regarding Council Chairmanship position is based and taken. This rotational order has most recently seen an Ezzangbo man occupying the position as an elected Chief Executive of the Council for two tenures, and an Effium man still occupying same position for a third tenure. We therefore unequivocally state that it is now the turn of Ngbo clan to occupy the position of the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area in the interest of peace, equity, fairness and justice.
ii. That in line with the above reason, and considering the strategic position of Ngboejeogu in Ohaukwu political structure, where Ngbo alone has eight (8) out of the fifteen (15) political wards in Ohaukwu (with Effium having Five (5) and Ezzangbo having Two (2)), we wish to aver that it is a clear case of political apartheid to deny Ngboejeogu what is legitimately due to her at this point in time. This decision is capable of triggering off political upheaval that may have certain counterproductive and sociopolitical consequences, not only for the APC as a political party, but for the polity of Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
iii. It is our view that the argument that Ngbo has taken three political positions in the present political dispensation, under the APC as a political family, does not make any political sense because:(a) Much as we cannot deny that the person to whom the position of the House of Representatives was given is an indigene of Ngbo, suffice it to point out the fact that he also enjoys citizenship of Amovu in Ezzangbo and may not be faulted should he, like others in the past decide to relocate now or later to his ancestral home. Previous experiences have shown many Ezzangbo brethren residing in Ngbo who returned to Ezzangbo as soon as political positions that are due to Ngbo clan are given to them. We have some fresh cases of that nature where people rode on the numerical strength and political tolerance and acceptability of Ngbo people to get juicy political positions, after which they take all the dividends to their original homes in Ezzangbo and finally relocate to Ezzangbo during or after holding such offices, thereby leaving Ngboejeogu at a disadvantaged and backward condition.
(b) The two positions of the House of Assembly equally have peculiar parameters upon which their sharing were predicated in Ohaukwu. Ngboejeogu has also religiously respected that formula and has not breached it. It is equally not a matter to be anchored on in giving the Chairmanship position to another clan outside Ngbo.
(c) That the only thing that binds Ngbo and other sister communities/clans in Ohaukwu Local Government Area is Chairmanship position of the Council and not House of Assembly or House of Representatives as erroneously speculated.
iv. Recently, during the Local Government congresses of both the APC and the PDP in Ohaukwu LGA, the rotational arrangement referred to in Paragraph 3 (i) above was strictly observed. The understanding was that since the position of the Council Chairmanship would be going to Ngbo in line with the existing arrangements which is known to every sincere political actor in Ohaukwu, the Local Government Party Chairmanship (for the two major political parties of APC & PDP) should go to Ezzangbo. This pure and clear confirmation of the existence of a zoning understanding was never truncated by an Ngbo man nor did any Ngbo person contest the position with our Ezzangbo brothers during the party congresses.
v. It should be noted that the three positions said to have been zoned to Ngbo by the APC are contestable between APC and other political parties that have also fielded their candidates from both Effium, Ezzangbo and Ebonyi Local Government Area. It is therefore a mere wishful thinking that APC will win all the elections.
vi. We are of the view that this recent development of sudden U-turn is an unhealthy attempt to grossly truncate the well thought out policy of His Excellency, the Executive Governor that constituted a Zoning Committee which was very clear on its submission that the Chairmanship position of Ohaukwu Local Government Area should go to Ngbo political bloc in conformity with the earlier understanding of all the stakeholders of the area wherein Local Government Chairmanship of the two major political parties (APC and PDP) were zoned to Ezzamgbo.
vii. Worthy of note also is the obvious that none of the Position Papers submitted by Ngbo, Ezzangbo and Effium clans as requested by the Chief Austin Umahi led Zoning Committee ever supported zoning of Ohaukwu Local Government Area 2022 Chairmanship position to any other place except Ngbo clan. It shall equally be noted that the position papers turned in by the above clans, individual and groups from Ohaukwu differed in other positions including the House of Representative and the two House of Assembly seats said to have been zoned to Ngbo. Why was the unanimous views of the people dropped and minority opinion taken?
viii. It is on record that an Ezzamgbo man has been occupying the Senatorial position since 2015 which was made possible by this administration and the incumbent senator is re-contesting same.
ix We wish to bring to the knowledge of His Excellency the Governor that for the past twenty one (21) years (2001-2022) Ngbo has occupied the position of Ohaukwu LGA Chairmanship for only one year while Ezzangbo and Effium clans held tenaciously to the position for 13 years and 7 years respectively. Justice therefore demands that Ngbo should be allowed to take her turn.
x. We wish to place on record that the positions zoned to Ngbo by the APC, including Houses of Representatives and those of State Assembly were neither the decision nor demand of Ngbo clan, as there were no opportunities for inputs from Ngbo clan as to who should go for them, but only came as goodwill of the Governor who made it clear that House of Representatives position given to Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze was in line with the demand of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to compensate him (Nwachukwu) for his acceptance to relinquish the state chairmanship of the party to the Governor when His Excellency defected to APC while the House of Assembly position for Ohaukwu South State constituency was given to Hon. Chinedu Onah as a gratification for his loyalty to the Governor having accepted to defect along with him (the Governor) to APC. In the case of Ohaukwu North, the Governor said that because Effium axis of the constituency was ridden by crises, the House of Assembly position will be shifted to Ngbo. As such they should not be counted as positions zoned to Ngbo clan.
4. It will therefore amount to severe injustice if Ngbo clan would be forced to surrender the Chairmanship to Ezzangbo, thus giving Ezzangbo with two political wards the positions of the major political Parties’ Chairmen, as well as the Council Chairmanship, leaving Ngbo with its teaming eight political wards with only the position of the uncertain two House of Assembly Seats. This arrangement will be socially, economically and politically suffocating for Ngboejeogu clan. We are also very much aware of the fact that such arrangement would breed a politically rancorous atmosphere with its attendant socio-politically disastrous consequences.
5. In view of the foregoing, we wish to state as follows:
a. Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth, wishes to appeal to Ebonyi State Government under our dear Governor, Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi, FNSE, FNATE, to graciously reconsider the zoning arrangement of the ruling APC Government with respect to Ohaukwu Local Government Area and re-zone the Chairmanship position to Ngboejeogu clan.
b. Our preference for the position of the Council Chairmanship is primary while other positions are secondary.
c. It will amount to gross injustice and deliberate denial of what is rightfully due to Ngboejeogu clan if the Council Chairmanship position for 2022 is moved to Ezzamgbo or to any other clan in Ohaukwu LGA outside Ngboejeogu clan.
d. We will continue to protest over this misguided zoning decision until it becomes clear to us that the Government neither wants to listen to our cry of truth nor is ready to remedy an action whose injury to Ngboejeogu as a people will remain irredeemable and politically destructive.
Signed:
Barr. Michael O. Odo
President
Ituma Emmanuel O.
Vice President
Comrd. Samuel O. Okpor
Secretary
Prince Ekpe Chukwuemeka
Treasurer
Engr. Friday Nkwo
Welfare/Director of Social
Dr. Elom Joseph Ogwu
For Ishingbo Ward I
Nurse Kenneth Ishiali
For Ishingbo Ward II
Mr Chiadikaobi O. Ali
For Umuogudu Akpu Ward I
Comrade Gregory Esheya
For Umuogudu Ward II
Mr. Basil Ominyi
Umuogudu Oshia ward
Gabriel Ozibo
For Ngbo Ward
Mr Innocent Agbo
For Okposhi Ward I
Barr. Chinedu Ugadu N.
For Okposhi Ward II
For and on behalf of the Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth.
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