*Sues for peaceful campaign
Members of a socio-cultural organization known as Pa Umuekumaenyi General Assembly said they have not endorsed any candidate for the forthcoming general elections in Ebonyi State.
The Chairman of the organisation, Chief Moses Nwobegu stated this on Monday when the Ebonyi gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii visited his members in Abakaliki.
Nwobegu said that different gubernatorial candidates including Engr Chukwuma Nwandugo of the Action Alliance and his counterpart of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Prophet Sunday Adol Awam had consulted with the group.
The Chairman explained that the Pa Umuekumaenyi is a sociocultural organisation whose members cut across the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State, and expressed their commitment to promoting love, peace, unity and progress among Ebonyi sons and daughters regardless of their distinct political affiliations.
He said Pa Umuekumaenyi General Assembly would resist every organisational credo that encourages divisions, violence, war, and loss of lives and property in Ebonyi, stressing that the cord uniting Ebonyi people has encountered a destructive sentiment and ploy to amass public resources for personal aggrandisement.
Lending his voice, the Vice Chairman of the organisation, Chineme Nwanchor described peace as the best policy that must be encouraged during the electioneering campaign in Ebonyi State.
He maintained that the Pa Umuekumaemyi General Assembly would contribute heavily through sensitization to ensure peaceful elections in the state.
Also, the Secretary General of Pa Umuekumaenyi General Assembly, Mrs Ndidiamaka Emmanuel Akam, advised Ebonyi people especially the youths to throw their weight behind peace-building, while condemning politics of do or die spirit in the state.
She said by marriage and other affiliating norms through cultural habit, religion and socio-political proportions, the residents of the state had become one people.
Responding, the Ebonyi PDP gubernatorial candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii commended Pa Umuekumaenyi for having decided to champion the agenda of peaceful co-existence, among other lofty engagements for the unity and progress of the state.
Odii represented by his running mate, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu also urged the members of the organisation to be a party to elect credible candidates into elective positions in the 2023 polls.
He said though he is among the contestants, Ebonyi people should vote for a candidate who has the desired character, capacity and commitment to serve as their leader in different elective positions.
While soliciting the support of the group, Odii promised to industrialize Ebonyi, assuring the deployment of technology to fight crimes, instead of using Ebubegau security operatives.
He also promised to delist Ebonyi from the poverty roster, with his assurances for vast wealth creation, employment, empowerment and civil service reform.
He assured of free education, improved health care and treatment, and rural-urban development with a special drive on the infrastructural revolution in the state.
