EBONYI 2015: TIME TO UNITE FOR DEMOCRACY A MUST READ FOR ALL EBONYIANS “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal…(the things of this world will pass away, but the things of God will last forever)”-Matt 6: 19-21. “…no matter what we do, no matter who we are, irrespective of the positions of authority and power we may have held or attained in life, there is a day of reckoning for all. God created everybody equal before nature, to indicate that we all are under supernatural control. There is no person, no matter his status who does not visit the rest room, take time to undress and then respect the call of nature and reassemble his garment. There is no person irrespective of status who does not get hungry and obey the rules of the kitchen and dining table. There is no man or woman who does not obey the dictates of sleep. In all these situations, man obeys the call of nature including the time to die”. – Jerry Uhuo, (2013) “A TIME YOU MAY BE ALONE” The above two quotations aptly illustrate the political situation in Ebonyi today. In the past seven years, Governor Martin Elechi appeared to have taken for granted that the respect he commanded from the people of Ebonyi was like a tortoise shield which he felt would be difficult to crack. He carried on forgetting that a day of reckoning would come. The octogenarian was said to be all knowing such that his state functionaries were mere official stamps to his policies as none were given opportunity to make inputs. State Executive Council meetings were said to be a conference or lecture hours as the Governor would come and deliver his instructions and take a leave without any challenge or discussion to elicit inputs of the state functionaries. The current development in the state has proved that Governor Elechi was only being respected and tolerated and not feared by anybody. The Deputy Governor’s disobedience to the governor in picking the nomination forms for the governorship of the state and the splitting of the ruling party in the state indicated that it was just a matter of time. The implosion of the ruling party in the state has given rise to the strengthening of some new opposition parties hitherto silent in the state, a faction of the PDP has Engr. Dave Umahi as candidate for the next governorship election having won the primaries conducted by the party on 8th December, 2014. The other faction of the party has moved to the Labour Party with Chief Edward Nkwoegu popularly known as Edon as flag bearer for the governorship election. APC and APGA have Senators Julius Ucha and Anthony Agbo as flag bearers. Under normal circumstances, this should be seen as a healthy development in the political engineering in Ebonyi at least it offers Ebonyi people choice of electing their leaders and governor without any form of imposition as it was the case. The challenge is that the fight for liberation of democracy has further introduced deeper divisions among the people perhaps due to the attitude of some political stakeholders in the state. The sudden love and unity among Sen Anyim Pius Anyim, Dr. Sam Egwu and Amb Franklin Ogbuewu targeted at dislodging Governor Elechi from power following his selfish appointment and anointing of Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu as his successor, rather than promote unity, has divided the state along sectional lines. Sen. Anyim backed the emergence of Dave Umahi as flag bearer of PDP with sponsorship of some Anambra businessmen who have interest in taking over some solid mineral deposits in the state, to spite Governor Elechi who had at one time or the other demonstrated his dissatisfaction of the appointment of Anyim as Secretary to Government of the Federation. Anyim also supported Dave to have a governor from the South and to further demonstrate his dislike for Prof Chukwu who had arrogantly prided himself as the only educated person from Ebonyi and who believed that without him Ebonyi could not produce any other person for the office of the Governor. Senator Ucha emerged from APC with support of the Ezza nation which has strong numerical strength in terms of voting power. Ezza people live in all the thirteen local government councils of the state and beyond. Edward Nkwoegu who had declined to pick form under the PDP when he was earlier approached to contest the governorship fearing Governor Elechi Axe over his mismanagement of billions of naira of state funds provided for the international market, now was co-opted by Elechi group who moved into Labour party to pick the governorship form. He represents Izzi clan which is deeply divided along two major families of Igboji and Unwueru. Senator Agbo is from the minority Ngbo area of the state. In the current situation, if elections are to be held today and votes cast along sectional lines, it is obvious that no political party will secure the two third majority required to win the governorship election. Dave Umahi despite the way and manner he won the PDP primary election does not enjoy support of Ebonyians across the three geopolitical zones. Even though his opposition to his boss brought a lot of accolades to him for daring to challenge the man regarded as a “god” in Ebonyi, such support is not enough for him to win the governorship election of the state without any form of alliance with other parties. Meanwhile Governor Elechi will try to use the Labour Party to prove that he is still in control using state resources but the level of disenchantment against him because of his style of leadership will surely affect the support to him no matter what he spends. He does not enjoy the cooperation of even those he has in government as many of them are just there for the pot of porridge they get from him. Also Elechi’s reliance on Chinedu Ogar, a man generally known as a thug, street urchin, a dupe and illiterate does not help the Governor’s course. Izzi people have remained divided since Elechi’s assumption of office in 2007 following the activities of his wife who allegedly favoured one part of Izzi against the other which divided the clan into Igboji and Unwueru in bitter enmity. It is not likely they can vote to Edon enbloc and Ezza people are not ready to unite with Izzi because of the attitude of Izzi people towards Ezza nation. The Afikpo side of the South is in bitter enmity with Governor Elechi who deceived their son Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu to resign from the Federal Ministry of Health on the pretext of being anointed for governorship of the state only to be abandoned to his fate. Many people are asking why Governor Elechi did not allow Chukwu to carry the flag of the Labour Party if he meant well for the South and Afikpo people in particular. In Ohaozara Okposi people are not too friendly with the candidature of Eng. Dave Umahi. In Uburu the home Community of Dave, his story is palatable in general terms. What may play out in the election is that if PDP can convince Senator Igwe Nwagu to accept to be Deputy to Dvae Umahi, Ezza people may based on Nwagu’s antecedents vote for PDP not necessarily because of Dave Umahi but because of Senator Nwagu and to ensure that Labour Party of Elechi does not get any vote in Ezza. An Ezza man believes and feels what they regard as deep hatred of the Ezza nation by Governor Elechi. Even if Izzi people decide to stand with Labour, Ezza and Ikwo with some support from Ohaozara may help the PDP to win in number of votes but may not get two third majority which may lead to a run off. If however, Senator Agbo decides to trade his ticket with the PDP the chances of the PDP may be brighter. In the case of APC, Sen Ucha is a formidable candidate having done well in the 2011 elections, but the general hatred for his party due to its dominance by Senator Ahmed Tinubu scares a lot of people away from giving it support. As far as Izzi and Ezza are not ready to unite together, it is not possible for either the APC or the Labour Party to win the governorship elections on their own. However, contestants in other positions in the parties may win their elections such as State House of Assembly and National Assembly based on individual credibility and credentials. It is not likely that any political party will dominate or take over other political positions based on the current situation in the state. In the National Assembly elections, it is likely that with the voting strengths of the Izzi people, Dr. Sam Egwu may not win the Senate election under PDP since he has only one local government to his favour. In the Central zone, the combination of Obina Ogba with Sam Egwu to frustrate Senator Nwagu’s governorship ambition angered Ezza nation who has the voting strength and they might vote their own son Prof Bernard Odo in APGA instead of Obina Ogba. In that case, House of Representatives may go to Ikwo. It is yet difficult to predict Senate election in the South as Afikpo may cast protest vote against Elechi because of their son Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu. The election to the House of Representatives and State House of Assembly may go anyway in the parties. No one party can claim to have the votes in their kitty for now. While this new development is a new dawn in democratic practice in Ebonyi, it is important that Ebonyi people unite together to express their freedom to elect true representatives of the people at all levels. Governor Elechi may fight Dave his deputy, but we as Ebonyians will fight for our right, right to elect our leaders. It shall not be based on political parties only but on the antecedents of the people and their manifestoes. Those who have failed us in the past must not have another chance whether President Jonathan or his wife are their backers. Both of them will never come to live in Ebonyi, Ebonyi is our home. We shall also not allow Anyim to use his position to impose anybody on us. It is time for change and it is change for the BEST.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 04:52:09 +0000
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