Hundreds of youths in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has beckoned on a popular Philantropist and Physician, Dr. Emmanuel Kanondu to declare interest in the Governorship position of the State ahead of the 2023 elections.
Kanondu, a Chieftain of the PDP is the Chief Executive Officer of popular Maranatha hospital, Afikpo, also located in other parts of the State.
He had since indicated interest in the Governorship seat of the State in October last year in the build up to the Party’s October 16th, 2021 Congress in the State.
Comrades Ndukwe Godwin and Isu Nkaa who led the delegation who were mainly natives of Ozizza alongside representatives of youths from the 12 wards in the LGA to his Egeburu residence to celebrate the new year recounted while addressing the aspirant that upon creation of Ebonyi in 1996, the foundation stone of Ebonyi was laid on the equitable principle that between the Abakaliki and Afikpo blocs, whichever bloc takes the State capital should not also be the first to produce the Governor of the State.
According to them however, this gentlemanly agreement was observed in breach as their Abakaliki brothers took both in total defiance to the equitable agreement.
Comrade Ndukwe noted that “it is a common knowledge that the Abakaliki bloc comprises of 8 out of the 13 Local Government Areas of the State while the Afikpo bloc, made up of North, South and the old Ohaozara bloc, commonly called Ohanivo is under our Afikpo bloc. How come the bloc which has taken a total of 16 years, including the numerous benefits and advantages of having the State capital located in Abakaliki have abandoned this agreement with our fathers?, he queried.
Also speaking, Comrade Nkaa observed that the Afikpo bloc which contributed greatly in the struggle for the creation of Ebonyi State with its many intellectual elites leading the pack would be denied justice and fairness if the Abakaliki bloc takes over from Governor David Umahi who though, hailing from Uburu, Ohaozara LGA in Ebonyi South is only at the verge of completing his second term of 4 years in office.
As youths, we consider this as very unfair and total negligence of where we started from for our Abakaliki brothers to be debating equity among themselves ahead of 2023 while we are yet to take our fair share”, Nkaa maintained.
Reacting, the host, Dr. Kanondu thanked the youths for their support and wisdom in honouring him by their visit.
” I am happy that some of our leaders from the Abakaliki bloc like Senator Obinna Ogba during his declaration to also run for the Governorship seat of the State on New year day has affirmed that there is nothing like Charter of equity in the State. And since there is no such signed document, my believe is that hence the three Senatorial zones in the State has occupied the Governorship position, any competent and qualified person can contest for the seat, win and occupy it.”
He threw his weight behind the arguments of his guest that since Ebonyi State was founded on the basis of two foundational blocs, Afikpo and Abakaliki with a simple but reasonable agreement that whosoever that takes the State capital should leave the Governorship seat for the other.
“But our brothers from Abakaliki bloc took both the State capital and also the Governor for a whopping 16 years. Since we would have only done 8 years in the South by 2023, it is only rational that the next Governor should come from the South to enable us complete our 16 years. They should remember as a matter of fact that our fathers like Ezeogo Dr Akanu Ibiam, like some others played very significant roles in the State’s creation struggle.
I therefore enjoin every Ebonyian and indeed, all lovers of equity and good conscience to tow this line of reasoning and argument”, he insisted.
The aspirant also used the occasion to appreciate the roles played by the founding fathers of the State, remarking that Ebonyi has made substantial progress in some sectors in the last 25 years of its creation.
Highlights of the occasion was the distribution of Christmas and New year materials such as bags of rice, wrappers and cash to hundreds of women and youths.
