nkechinyere Ewa, Abakaliki
The Ezza Ezekuna Youth Assembly (EEYA), a socio-cultural youth organisation in Ebonyi State, has rejected the state’s zoning arrangement for the governorship, insisting that competence, credibility and capacity should determine who becomes governor.
The group made its position known during a gathering at Isu Achara in Onicha Local Government Area, where it formally endorsed the governorship aspiration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, , ahead of the 2027 election.
Addressing party supporters, youth leaders and stakeholders, Sunday Orogwu, the National President of EEYA, argued that the zoning arrangement, often described as the “Charter of Equity,” had outlived its usefulness and should give way to merit-based leadership.
According to him, “The purported zoning and Charter of Equity in Ebonyi State has done us more harm than good. It has raped our democracy and economy. Leadership should be based on competence, credibility and the capacity to deliver, not where a person comes from.”
Orogwu traced the political history of the state since its creation in 1996, alleging that the governorship had been dominated by the Abakaliki bloc despite what he described as an understanding among the state’s founding fathers on equitable power rotation.
He maintained that while the Abakaliki bloc had produced governors for about 19 years, the Afikpo bloc had occupied the office for only eight years, a development he described as unfair.
“Our founding fathers had an understanding that if the state capital was located in one bloc, the first executive governor should emerge from the other bloc. That understanding was not respected from the beginning, and subsequent political developments continued to favour one bloc over the other,” he said.
The EEYA president also revisited the transition from the administration of Sam Egwu former Governor to Martin Elechi, and later to former Governor David Umahi, alleging that political manoeuvring consistently denied the Afikpo bloc equal opportunities.
He further claimed that Ifeanyi Odii, the PDP candidate in the 2023 governorship election, was denied victory despite enjoying widespread support across the state.
“Instead of allowing the Afikpo bloc to continue after Governor David Umahi completed his tenure, they conspired and robbed Ifeanyi Odii, who we believe won the election because Ebonyi people gave him their mandate,” Orogwu alleged.
Declaring the group’s support for Odii’s 2027 ambition, Orogwu said the endorsement reflected the collective resolve of Ezza youths to pursue what they described as equity, justice and good governance.
“Our endorsement is in the spirit of no retreat, no surrender. We call on the people of Ezza to stand with Ifeanyi Odii. We believe he has the vision and leadership qualities needed to move Ebonyi State forward,” he said.