From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
For many political watchers, there is a seeming unity among the major political leaders of Ebonyi State which never happened since the creation of the state in 1996.
Ebonyi political leaders were known for supremacy battle until the present administration in the state brought them together.
In 2003, the first civilian governor of the state, Dr. Sam Egwu who later represented Ebonyi North Senatorial zone for eight years and the then Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim who was also Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), had a running battle which gave rise to what is known as Abuja group in the state polity.
Abuja group is made of politicians plying their trade in the Nation’s capital. They include Senators, House of Representatives members and other top political leaders whether elected or appointed.
While Anyim had control of the group that time, Egwu led the Ebonyi State group.
When Chief Martin Elechi came in as the governor in 2007, the Abuja group which almost died following Egwu’s upper hand in the political battle, resurrected and stopped Elechi from producing his successor.
Elechi had settled for the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu as his successor but the governor was outsmarted by the Abuja group which hijacked the PDP structure and installed a governor, Chief David Umahi who is now Minister of Works.
Elechi was easily defeated in the political battle following the combination of the Abuja group in collaboration with the forces of the National leadership of the PDP.
Having lost the structure of the PDP and the party’s governorship ticket to Umahi who was his Deputy and former Chairman of the party in the state. Elechi threw his support to the Labour Party governorship candidate, Chief Edward Nkwegu, his in-law.
The battle became a ding dong affair. The Abuja group triumphed and Umahi was declared winner of that 2015 general election. When INEC was announcing the governorship election at its headquarters in Abakaliki, the state capital, Elechi went there to lodge a complaint. Umahi who was not in INEC got wind of it and stormed there. It took divine intervention for the two political leaders not to have open confrontation.
About two years to the end of his administration, Umahi dumped PDP and defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This pitched him against other leaders of the PDP including Anyim, Egwu and National Assembly members of the state who refused to follow him to APC and the Abuja group resurfaced again in the polity.
The PDP leaders and Umahi traded words. They vowed to stop Umahi at all cost for dumping the political party that brought him to limelight. They dragged him to court and a federal high court sitting in Abuja, presided by Justice Inyang Ekwo delivered judgement against Umahi and ordered him to return his Certificate of Return as governor to the PDP.
The court also directed PDP to nominate who will replace him as governor and the member representing Afikpo/Edda federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Iduma Igariwey was nominated as Umahi’s replacement.
However, Umahi refused to vacate his seat. He got stay of execution on the matter and proceeded to Appeal court. The court delivered judgement in his favour.
Umahi weathered the storm and anointed his political son, the present governor of the state, Francis Nwifuru as his successor in 2023.
But the governor didn’t face much opposition by the Abuja group as most members of the group including Anyim Pius Anyim, Senator Obinna Ogba and some other then members of the National Assembly worked for the emergence of Nwifuru while Egwu supported the PDP governorship candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Odii.
Immediately he won the election, Nwifuru brought all the political leaders including Anyim, Egwu, Elechi and Umahi together.
These four gladiators who were like cat and mouse, are now seen together in the state. They attend government functions and in most cases chair the functions.
For instance, Anyim was the Chairman of the 83rd birthday celebration of Elechi which was organized by Governor Nwifuru with all the political leaders of the state in attendance. The leaders took time and eulogized Elechi for his contribution to the creation and development of the state.
Anyim also chaired one year anniversary celebration of Governor Nwifuru. Elechi, Egwu and Umahi also attended the event.
Anyim in his remarks said “your Excellency, flowing from the above, I want to say that your administration has given us a cause to come together across all divides to celebrate Ebonyi State.
“Your Excellency, in the last one week you have been all over the state commissioning projects but today, the galaxy of Ebonyi People are gathered here to commission the projects you have not commissioned in the last one week. I must say that I am pleased that you have asked me to lead Ebonyi people to commission these milestone projects.
“Accordingly, and by the authority you have conferred on me. I hereby commission the unity you have brought to Ebonyi State, in the name of God the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit”, he stated
Some other leaders of the state including former Chairman, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Chief Elias Mbam said the all inclusiveness Nwifuru was running, brought all the political leaders of the state together irrespective of their party affiliation.
Mbam who aspired to be the governor of the state with Nwifuru but lost APC ticket to the governor said “ the governor is running an inclusive administration. He has made every Ebonyian to feel that they are a part of his administration irrespective of where you come from and your party. And so, politics is gone and we are now on governance and everybody is invited. That action has promoted peace, progress and unity in the state. If you have a state function now, you will find that leaders of different parties will be participating in the function and they feel at home, nobody is discriminated against”.
Some political watchers have predicted that the unity among the leaders of the state may not last but the member representing Ohaozara,Onicha and Ivo federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Nkemkanma Kama dismissed them as wishful thinkers.
He told Daily Sun that those waiting for the political leaders to fight again, may be waiting in vain
“We have a terrible set of people and they have decided that the only way they can benefit is to create problems between these two men. These people predicting crisis between the governor and his predecessor are the worst set of people, they don’t like the relative peace we are all enjoying in the state because of the unity between the governor and his predecessor.
“You can see that almost all the former governors, the SGF Anyim Pius Anyim, my own father, everybody is in the same boat and people are now happy. Those that want the governor and the Minister of Works to have a problem want it for their own selfish interest. They want a problem so that they can start manipulating it but unfortunately, these two great men know themselves and they have decided that nothing will come in between them. There are people who are hell bent that these two men should quarrel but the governor and the Minister are very sensible and it can’t work for those looking for quarrel between them”, he stated.
Minister of Works, Sen David Umahi has also upbraided those predicting that he will fall out with Governor Nwifuru the way the Minister of Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and his successor did which is causing political crisis in Rivers State.
Umahi said those wishing him and his successor a fall out want the crisis so that they can make money from it.
He told journalists in Abakaliki that he will not have issues with Nwifuru and will fight anyone who tries to fight the governor to a standstill.
He said: “whether all the leaders will stay together till the end is not our business. But I will stay with him throughout his eight years and whoever that wants to fight him, I will fight the person. So, I will stand for him and I will stand with him. I feel so much fulfilled and happy the way he honours me. In public, he has always acknowledged that God used me to help him. Some of the people we helped today are dodging, even the National Assembly members, only Nwebonyi will openly acknowledge that this is his father and his boss and they thought that the governor will be angry. Why will the governor be angry? They thought that the governor does not acknowledge the same thing.
“Some people want crisis so that they can make money. The truth is that I am not available. What is it that I want in life, I am so blessed beyond measure. So, I will support the governor. Once in a while, we talk and I will advise him at least, I have been in that seat. He has great wisdom.”
