The just held general election retired most of lawmakers presently representing Ebonyi State in the National Assembly.

Some of these lawmakers have been in the National Assembly since 2007. While some of them contested governorship tickets of their parties and lost, some of others lost their seats at the polls…..CONTINUE READING

Consequently, new faces have taken over the seats of these powerful federal lawmakers from Ebonyi State. As a result the law- makers will have to wait till 2027 when an- other general election would be conducted to see if they can go back to the National Assembly.

Senator Egwu served as commissioner for Education in the state under the military administration of Walter Feghabor.

He later emerged as the first civilian governor of the state. He governed the state between 1999 and 2007. He was appointed Minister of Education by late Musa Yar’Adua administration former. In 2015, he was elected senator for Ebonyi North Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was re-elected in 2019.

He re-contested for the position in the just held general election but lost to a former chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He came third at the poll according to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while Labour Party’s candidate came second. Egwu has already filed a suit before the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, challenging the declaration of Nwebonyi as the winner of the election.

He alleged that the election was marred by irregularities. However, he is said to be considering withdrawing the petition, following pleas by some stakeholders of the senatorial zone. As it stands, Egwu is likely not to be in the 10th Senate.

Obinna Ogba

Ogba, who is the chairman of the Sen- ate Committee on Youths and Sports, is the senator representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial District. He had earlier served as chairman of a local government and state chairman PDP, among other positions.

He is one of the founding fathers of PDP in Ebonyi State and got elected as senator in 2015, a position he is still occupying. He con- tested the governorship primary election of the PDP but couldn’t secure the party’s ticket. The PDP in the state was polarized during the primaries with two factions fighting for the control of its structure. The crisis lingered as the two factions; one loyal to Ogba/Anyim Pius Anyim and the other loyal to Chief Ifeanyi Odii/Egwu refused to shift ground.

The factions produced Ogba and Odii as flag bearers of the party for the governorship race. The matter shifted to courts and reached to Supreme Court, which affirmed Odii as the authentic candidate of the PDP for the governorship election. After the judgement, Ogba held thanks- giving that was attended by Odii and other notable politicians across political parties within and outside the state. Odii told jour- nalists at the event which held in Nkalagu, Ishielu Local Government area of the state that he has reconciled with Ogba and that both have agreed to work together for the victory of the party. But the senator did not show up at PDP campaigns throughout the electioneering period. He was said to have instructed all his supporters to vote for the candidate of APC, Chief Francis Nwifuru. This may have accounted for APC’s victory won Ishielu Local Government, where Ogba hails from in the governorship and House of Assembly elections. Ogba, who recently said he supported the governorship candidate of the APC during the elec- tion, called for support of the candidate, Nwifuru to enable him succeed. “I believe that power be- longs to God. Even if man wants to stop you, he can’t succeed except God allows him to do so. I am happy that the people I supported won the elections. “I urge everyone to give maximum support to the incoming government led by Ogbonna Nwifuru. He is a young man with potentials. Administrations are different. Walter Feghabo administration is different from that of Simeon Odu- oye, and that of Sam Egwu is from Martin Elechi abnd Dave Umahi. “It is not easy to preside over the House of Assem- bly for eight years. Nwifuru has gotten experience. He knows the state in and out. I am not Nwifuru adviser. As an Ebonyian, I know that the outgoing governor has done well especially in the area of infrastructure.. He has even said to my hearing that he will empower Ebonyi people to make them stand tall with others outside the state. Other advices to him will be private and not to your consumption. “Do not assume that any- thing will happen with our support to him no matter what an elder told you. If there are 5 people who en- sured that Umahi becomes governor, I am one of them. Umahi is still my incumbent governor. I will not discuss him I’m public.” he said. Asked why he was not suspended by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP like other stake- holders of the party in the state, who also supported the APC, he said: “whether we like it or not, Ebonyi is our state. Political parties are just vehicles to get to our destination. “Leaders of the state decided that the north zone should produce the governor but the NWC of PDP for reasons best known to them shot itself on the foot. It decided to give ticket to the incumbent governor’s cousin. If you are talking about suspension, you can write to them to do so. “The fact is that it is the NWC that deserves to be suspended starting from the national chairman who lost his booth, ward and state. All the conspirators who gave tickets to those who understood their languages lost.” Ogba’s argument, notwithstanding, he will definitely not be in the 10th National Assembly.

Nnachi, who hails from Afkpo South Local Government Area of the state, is the senator Representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District. He re-contested for a second tenure and lost to Governor Umahi, who was the candidate of the APC. The Labour Party’s candi- date and a former member of the House of Representatives, Chief Linus Okorie came second. Okorie and Nnachi are currently challenging the result of the election at the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in the state.

Sylvester Ogbaga

The member representing Abakaliki/ Izzi federal constituency in the House of Representatives is the oldest federal law- maker in Ebonyi State. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2007 on the platform of the PDP. Head of the 2023 polls, he contested the governorship primary election of the party but failed to secure the ticket. Perhaps, the crisis that rocked Ebonyi PDP at the time, contributed to his loss at the primary elec- tion. The party held parallel primaries and he contested both primaries though he pulled out of the first primary conducted by the Odii faction of the party, citing ir- regularities. When the Senator Ogba faction held its own primaries, Ogbaga participated but lost. He placed third but was appointed a member of the Atiku Abubakar presiden- tial campaign council in the state. During the governorship election, he was said to have supported the candidate of the APC, who is from his federal con- stituency. When Nwifuru who is the speaker of the State House of Assembly was declared winner of the governorship election, Og- baga was among stakeholders of Izzi clan, who gathered at the Christian Ecumeni- cal Centre in the state, where hos victory celebration was held. Like Egwu and others, Ogbaga will not be in the 10th National Assembly.

Edwin Nwonu

Nwonu is the member representing Ezza North/Ishielu federal onstituency. He is a two-term lawmaker on the platform of the PDP and contested for the governorship position in the party. He contested the governorship under the Anyim/Ogba faction of the party and lost. He came second in the party’s as Sena- tor Ogba was declared winner. After the primaries, he moved to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to seek return to the National Assembly but he was resisted by a former House of Assembly Leader in the state, Chief Joseph Nwobashi who won the party ticket for the Ezza North/Ishielu federal constituency. Nwobashi was already with the ticket of the party before Nwonu came in to seek the ticket. Stakeholders of the party pleaded with Nwobashi to withdraw for Nwonu but the former Assembly Leader refused and went to court. The matter got to Supreme Court and Nwonu lost out. In the main election, Nwobashi was lead- ing APC, PDP and Labour Party candidates, who were his major rivals but the election was declared inconclusive by INEC which has scheduled rerun for the constituency on 15th of this month. Nwonu who is the Chairman House Committee on Correctional Services will not be in the House of Representatives of the 10th Assembly.

Livinus Makwe

Makwe is the member representing Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo federal constitu- ency. He was elected under the platform of PDP. He is a two term lawmaker but he will not be in the 10th Assembly. He was defeated by the candidate of Labour Party, Chief Nkemkama Kama in the just concluded general election. He was not in the race for third term proper owing to the crisis that rocked his party, He was not with the party ticket for the general election. it was Chief Jerry Obasi, former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly that was with the ticket. Obasi withdrew from the race for Makwe during negotiation and reconcilia- tion by the warring factions of the PDP in the state. Obasi was reportedly pleaded by some stakeholders of the party to discontin- ue his ambition for Makwe to enable some loyalists of former Secretary to the Govern- ment of the Federation(SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim to be in the 2023 general elections since the faction of Ifeanyi Odii produced all the candidates of the party for the gen- eral election and he agreed and withdrew from the race. But during the general election, the candidate of Labour Party for the federal constituency, Kama defeated Makwe and the candidate of APC, Chief Felix Igboke who came second at the poll while Makwe came third. With the result of the election, Makwe will definitely not be in the 10th National Assembly.

Chukwuma Nwazunku

Nwazunku is the member representing Ebonyi/Ohaukwu federal constituency. He is a two term member elected under the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). He was Speaker of the State House of Assembly from where he was elected member of the House of Representatives. In 2023, he con- tested the governorship primaries of the PDP but couldn’t secure the party’s ticket. Few days to the National Assembly elec- tion, his posters for House of Representatives under the PDP flooded some parts of the constituency. A member of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Victor Aleke was holding the parry’s ticket for the federal constituency and was campaigning seri- ously to win the election which was won by a former Chairman of APC in the state, Eze Nwachukwu. With this, Nwazunku will not return to the National Assembly.

APGA, APC, PDP, LP go to war in Ezza North/ Ishielu Federal Constituency

In Ezza North/Ishielu federal constituency, four dominant political parties in the constituency and the state in general, APGA, APC will go to another battle on Saturday to produce the member, who will represent the constituency in the 10th National Assembly. The federal constituency election which was held on 20th February this year along- side other National Assembly elections was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state. The commission declared the election inconclusive in Oriuzor ward which has about 17,000 registered voters. The commission announced April 15 for the supple- mentary poll. APGA, APC, PDP and LP will slug it out on that Saturday. APGA was leading in the constituency when the elec- tion was declared inconclusive by INEC.

The party was trailed by APC, PDP and Labour Party. Former Leader of the state House of Assembly, Chief Joseph Nwobashi is the candidate of APGA while former Chairman of of Ezza North local government, Dr. Nora Aloh is the can- didate of APC. PDP and LP have Chief Emmanuel Nwite and Darlington Ugota, respectively as their candidates. The four candidates have been campaigning for the rerun. The rerun will be very tough like the general election because of many factors.

The governorship candidate of APGA, Pro- fessor Bernard Odoh is from the federal constituency. Odoh is from Umuezeokaoha community, Ezza North local government area. APGA won the local government dur- ing the governorship election with wide margin. The party produced House of Assembly member in the local government during the general election. The people of the local government have always voted for opposi- tion party in almost all the general elec- tions conducted in the state. Ezza North people love the governorship candidate of APGA and may vote for Nwobashi during Saturday’s rerun. Apart from APGA having chance of winning the rerun, APC also have good chance. APC is a ruling party in the state and may deploy its powers to ensure that it secure victory at the supplementary elec- tion. It has many stakeholders in the local government who it may depend on to pull through at the poll. PDP, on its part, can’t be pushed over at the poll. This is because the Deputy Gov- ernorship candidate of the party, Chief Paulinus Igwe Nwagu is from Oriuzor. Nwagu is very popular in the community. If anything is to go by, his influence will greatly help the party to win the supple- mentary election on Saturday. LP is also a party to watch at the poll. The Obedient movement which took the nation by storm during the general elec- tion, also shook the state during the polls. The party produced a House of Reps mem- ber in Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo federal constituency and a House of Assembly candidate in Onicha East State constitu- ency during the general election. The party’s candidate for the supple- mentary election, Ugota is loved by the people and may win the election. However, Oriuzor is one of the most volatile area in the state. There has been loss of lives, de- struction of property in the community in previous elections by suspected political thugs. The incidents may play out if ad- equate security measures are not taking. Meanwhile, the state Independent Na- tional Electoral Commission has said that rerun will also hold in five State House of Assembly constituencies on same April 15 alongside the Ezza North/Ishielu federal constituency supplementary election The state Resident Electoral Commis- sioner (REC) of the commission Pauline Onyeka disclosed this in Abakaliki the state capital during the presentation of certificates of return to the Governor- elect, Chief Francis Nwifuru, his running mate, Patricia Obila and state assembly members-elect. The event took place at the INEC state headquarters. Onyeka noted that only 17 constituencies have their results an- nounced and elections concluded out of 24. She said five constituencies have in- conclusive results, while two constituen- cies have issue which the commission is resolving. “Only 17 members elect will receive their certificate out of 24 due to inconclu- sive. Two have issues to be corrected while elections were declared inconclusive in five state constituencies,” she said. She noted that election for Ezza North/ Ishielu federal constituency was also de- clared inconclusive…..CONTINUE READING