A youth leader in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Comrade Ifeanyi Onwe, has attributed the boycott of political stakeholders during the endorsement rally for the council chairperson, Mrs. Peace Agwu, to her alleged high-handedness, desperation, and violation of the zoning agreement within the council.
Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital, Onwe explained that political leaders had earlier resolved that power would shift to the Ezzagu zone in 2026. He said the recent endorsement of the incumbent chairman’s second-term ambition was viewed as a breach of that understanding.
“The endorsement rally was a show of shame. What they called a one-million-man march couldn’t attract more than 50 people. It was a calculated attempt to create tension and disunity in the council. No stakeholder of Ezillo extraction attended the event,” Onwe said.
According to him, the low turnout and the absence of major political figures including Senator Obinna Ogba, Chief Ben Okah, members of the State Executive Council, and House of Assembly members from Ishielu were clear signs that stakeholders were unhappy with Mrs. Agwu’s leadership style.
“Her desperation is threatening to scuttle the zoning arrangement we all agreed upon. The people of Ishielu are fully behind President Bola Tinubu and Governor Francis Nwifuru, but we reject any form of imposition at the local level,” he added.
Comrade Onwe commended Governor Nwifuru for his youth-friendly leadership, urging that the next council chairman should be chosen based on competence, inclusiveness, and youthfulness.
Meanwhile, a former Vice Chairman of the Ebonyi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Benjamin Nworie, has declared his intention to contest the 2026 Ishielu chairmanship seat.
Onwe described Nworie’s ambition as courageous and widely accepted among the people of the council.
“Comrade Benjamin Nworie from the Ezzagu zone has demonstrated rare courage by declaring his interest.
"His aspiration has received overwhelming support from stakeholders and youths alike.
" He is competent, exposed, and capable of taking Ishielu to greater heights,” Onwe said.
