…Says power rotation guarantees equity, warns South may lose future bargaining power if arrangement is breached
BY EDITOR
The Chairman of the Ebonyi State Scholarship Board, Chief Chaka Nweze, has urged the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the state, Dr Ifeanyi Odii, to abandon his 2027 governorship ambition and respect the existing power-rotation arrangement in the state.
Nweze, a former Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area, made the call in an interview in Abakaliki, arguing that the political stability and collective interest of Ebonyi should supersede individual ambitions.
He said the zoning arrangement, which he traced to the administration of former Governor Sam Egwu and described as having been consolidated by his successor, former Governor David Umahi, had promoted political accommodation, stability and equitable distribution of power in the state.
“This arrangement has ensured peace, political tolerance and the overall upward trajectory of the state. Therefore, it will be wise if it is upheld,” Nweze said.
The former Vice Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Ebonyi State chapter, said Odii, who is also from Ebonyi South Senatorial District, stood to benefit more from preserving the arrangement than attempting to alter it.
According to him, the North and Central Senatorial Districts, collectively referred to as the Ekumenyi bloc, have a larger population than the Afikpo bloc comprising Ebonyi South.
He argued that allowing the Southern Senatorial District, which produced the immediate past governor, Umahi, to seek the governorship immediately after his tenure would undermine the principle of equity upon which the zoning arrangement was built.
Nweze warned that any attempt to disrupt the rotation could ultimately work against Ebonyi South when its turn to produce the governor eventually arrives.
“If the present zoning arrangement is altered, not to talk of being short-circuited, it will be very difficult for future generations of Ebonyi South to win the governorship of the state,” he said.
He added that Nigeria’s electoral system was gradually moving towards reforms that would strengthen the value of votes, arguing that population could increasingly determine electoral outcomes.
“The nation’s electoral system is evolving towards reforms which guarantee that votes must count. This will ultimately offer advantage to any bloc with the highest population, making them the determinant of electoral fates,” Nweze said.
Nweze also endorsed Governor Francis Nwifuru’s expected bid for a second term, saying the governor had performed creditably and deserved to complete the two-term trajectory established by previous governors of the state.
He cited the administrations of Egwu, Chief Martin Elechi and Umahi, noting that each governed for eight years and left distinct legacies.
“Dr Sam Egwu is revered for his imprints in the education sector, Chief Martin Elechi is adored for intensive rural development, while Engr David Umahi is remembered for the monumental infrastructural turnaround of the state,” he said.
According to him, Nwifuru has distinguished himself particularly in education and human empowerment and should be allowed to complete his tenure in the interest of continuity and political equity.
Nweze appealed to Odii to place the larger interest of the state above his immediate political ambition, assuring him that the governorship would eventually return to the South.
“When Nwifuru completes four years, the Central District will take its turn and, before eyes are closed and opened, it will be the Southern District’s turn,” he said.
“Odii is still a very young man who would still be physically strong and mentally alert to vie for the number one position in the state. He should be assured that those whom he listened to their wise counsel now would be available to back him then.”
