…Declares Ebonyi Needs “Political Rescue Operation”
The apex socio-cultural group representing the Abakaliki geographical territory of Ebonyi State, Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council, has adopted Engr. Ifeanyichukwu Odii as its preferred candidate for the 2027 governorship election and declared that the state urgently needs a “political rescue operation.”
Rising from a critical stakeholders’ meeting in Abakaliki on Saturday, the Council said Ebonyi’s development can no longer be subjected to “trial-and-error programming” and that leadership selection must henceforth be based on capacity, competence, vision, accountability, and commitment to good governance, not rotation, allocation, or geographical sentiment.
Speaking through a communique signed by its spokesperson, Hon. Emmanuel Nwobo, the Council expressed “deep concern” over what it described as growing dissatisfaction among Ebonyians with the current quality of governance, contrasting it with the state’s previous “rapid and visionary development.”
It argued that the present situation demands urgent leadership change and that the overriding criteria for selecting the next governor must be demonstrable track record in public or private service, integrity, and commitment, rather than “political brigandage, threat, or geographical consideration.”
The Council resolved that contesting for governor must become “highly competitive and no more on allotment or allocation to anybody,” warning that Ebonyi “cannot afford to sacrifice our common and collective future on the altar of ineptitude.”
The leaders condemned the “alarming level of economic hardship, youth unemployment, economic depression, environmental degradation, and rapid decline in living standards” confronting residents.
They flagged a decline in the ease of doing business and “unbearable roadblocks faced by businesses and businessmen in the State.”
The Council also raised allegations of “financial impropriety and abuse of public trust” that are “always trending in the State,” citing an “epidemic of poorly executed or abandoned projects” and lack of transparency and accountability in managing public funds.
It noted a growing disconnect between government and the governed and called on the Ebonyi State Government to urgently address the challenges and “restore public confidence through responsive, transparent, honest, and people-oriented governance.
“This is urgent,” the group said.
The Council also regretted that the noble dreams and sacrifices of Ebonyi’s founding fathers “have been abandoned for frivolities.” It said the vision of building a united, prosperous, secure, and economically vibrant Ebonyi must not be derailed “under any guise,” and urged all political leaders, public office holders, and stakeholders to commit to clarity, fairness, accountability, and inclusiveness.
The Council warned that “any further experimentation with the present leadership of the State beyond 2027 will be developmentally disastrous, with dire economic consequences.” It noted that Ebonyi, once the “fastest developing state in the Southeast,” is now “gradually becoming one of the most underdeveloped states in Nigeria” and “a state in total comatose economic depression, squalor, and all forms of administrative brigandage.”
It welcomed interest from individuals across the North, Central, and Southern zones to contest in the 2027 governorship election, describing it as “not only democratic but divine” to give Ebonyians the option to choose among equals.
However, it said candidates must be “properly scrutinized” to meet expectations and reclaim the state’s lost prestige.
After “many considerations,” the Council declared Ifeanyichukwu Odii the “most credible alternative” and adopted him as its preferred candidate. It cited his “long-term experience in the private sector” as the quality needed to put Ebonyi “back on the international economic map” and reverse “backward trend and stagnation within the shortest period of time.”
While not condemning other aspirants, the Council encouraged Odii to “gear up, be strong, and be part of this new change process,” it said insisting that “development comes before power allocation” and that the governorship “must be made with a credible mindset.”
The Council vowed: “We hereby refuse to put tribe or any other sentiment before the collective interest of the people… when Ebonyi State began sliding into political, economic, and social oblivion, we spoke up, and that when everybody was afraid to talk, we did.” Its slogan, it said, is “Ebonyi first.”
Following consultations and endorsement by stakeholders at the meeting, the Council resolved that the Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council shall henceforth be recognized and operate as the apex socio-cultural organization representing the collective interests, aspirations, welfare, development, and cultural heritage of the Umuekumenyi geographical territory. It said the Council will serve as a platform for advocacy, community development, leadership engagement, peacebuilding, cultural preservation, and promotion of good governance.
The Council urged all sons and daughters of Umuekumenyi at home and in the diaspora to unite behind justice, development, peace, economic advancement, and responsible leadership. It called on traditional institutions, religious leaders, youth groups, women organizations, professionals, and civil society actors to work collectively and “eschew any parochial interest that can set the state further backward.”
It stressed the need for sincerity in accepting that the state “may not be able to continue like this without incurring political and economic collateral damage.”
The Council reaffirmed its commitment to democracy, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, social justice, accountability, equity, and good governance, and said it will continue engaging stakeholders to pursue a prosperous, secure, and united Ebonyi where government exists for the welfare of the people.