Barrister Ununu Sunday Uguru is the Principal, Big Bird Chambers and Founder Advocate for Equity and Good Leadership. In this interview with Nwogha Ndubuisi Andy, he speaks on how to maintain power balancing in Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large through equitable means of distribution of power for the overall development and unity.
The need for position of presidency be zoned to South East and the leadership ingenuity of Governor David Umahi among others.
Excerpts
As a preacher of equity, the political atmosphere taking shape recently in the state is so glaring that zoning formula may be truncated come 2023?
Well,thank you very much. When the idea of formation of this vanguard group came to my mind; I got the vision, nurtured,propagate and caused like minds to see the essence of the so doing.
It may interest you to know that when we started, that was during the time when His Excellency was to be emerged, I championed the course so seriously with my members and in the year 2015. We made serious move and campaigned seriously too, and at the tail end;it came to pass that equity prevailed.
When our governor was about to go for 2nd tenure ;alot of interest and alot of persons started kicking against it, although,politics is an embodiment of interest and the only thing that is permanent is interest because once someone is politically protected, the person remains resolute with the party.
So, when people were agitating, I made our position clear, and asked: does this move not negate to Principal of equity because when it was a turn of Ebonyi North comprising Abakaliki, Izzi, Ebonyi and Ohaukwu,our Senator Dr. Sam Egwu was favoured by divine nature despite the fact that he is from the minority and in the long run, he served well for eight years, thereafter batton of leadership moved to Central and by the divine nature of God,Chief Martin Nwanchor Elechi emerged the governorship position for eight years unperturbed and when the turn of the South came,His Excellency Engr.David Umahi took over.
I keep giving praises to our former Governor,Chief Martin Elechi who holds tenaciously that Principal of equity be allowed to play when he was concluding his administration, insisting that the dream of our founding fathers would not be completed, if we do not allow the Southerner to take their part in leadership of the state.
Suprisingly, even though,at the tail end in the person of Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu whom he wanted as a governor dashed on the board and by the divine will of God and the intention of the masses they preferred Engr.David Umahi to raise the flag of People Democratic party, PDP, which the former governor was not comfortable with , he decamped and moved to Labour Party,and began to champion the course of governorship position now coming from Izzi even when the people had taken their slot under their zone. It became a confusion by trying to renew what he had earlier condemned and it was that premise that Governor Umahi gained massive Support.
How has the group influenced political decision so far especially during the last election that made you believe that same would happen again?
As an advocator of equity, when the 2nd term of His Excellency came,we discovered high level of interest but we swung into action, making alot of projection,arguments and predictions with papers everywhere,media and the rest saying;No.
We demanded to know the basis for which the attempt was made for his removal; is it because he rule so well that within three years in office, he transformed Ebonyi to where we were then and where we are today? or was that the way to pay him back over his good work.
After we had assessed his enormous achievements, we decided to pay him with our votes because he did so well.
We embarked on social media education and with the Social Media inclusive to champion our stand, which I made several post that triggered reactions which the first was telling APC supporters that the worst they could do was to give ticket to non Southerner, on that particular day,the enlightenment gained massive comments because I know that with the likes of our brothers in APC; as professor Odo,Edeze,Edon and others,I know it will not work.
Thereafter, another post was made to sensitize our people, the Abakaliki bloc to know that giving Professor Odo ticket will be on the condition that the people would accept to wait for eight years which will truncate the peaceful rotation in the state and Following the notion they queue into the argument and eventually he was denied ticket.
I, also, raised another argument by making publicly that denying Engr.David Umahi ticket will over favour the Southerners because Sunny Ogbuoji would have insisted remaining eight years at the peril of other zone. I pushed it hard which People saw reasons; what I was doing was to cause people to see reason and implication of any political decision until the last day,the election between Dave and Ogbuoji was a landslide victory.
Going by advocacy, Are you saying that power will likely be shifted to Central at the end of this administration?
Presently, people have started agitating and asking questions,as Advocator of Equity and Good Leadership,I always take my position that without being told,no reasonable person will not know that the power goes to other place than Izhi, because the power, having rotated among the three senatorial zone which off course,we have six dorminant blocks: in the North; The Izhi and Mgbo,in the central: Ikwo and Ezza;in the South: Afikpo and Ohaozara.
These are the dorminant blocs that once power keeps rotating within the block, you will experience the type of development which our founding fathers fought for during the creation of Ebonyi State.
Do you see Izhians clinching the power as rightly said?
The power having gone round, if after David’s administration power will return to North and to Izhi precisely and the person spends eight years like others, the central will take over through Ezza man for eight years, from where it will move to Afikpo. If the issue of rotation is maintained this way, the State will enjoy power balancing with even development.
What will be the expectations of the Izhi people as they seize the batton of power?
Let the Izhians resolve and bring candidate that will take the mantle of leadership and give us a government that worth while,that will be remembered for.
I keep telling people that our governor has been able to lay a blueprint of what people should be looking out for.
What will be the fate of Izhians if after David’s administration, the rotation is broken?
In issue of Ebonyi State today, if the Ezzas who are our brother insisted that they cannot Support or allow Izhi man to go, definitely,there will be a problem.
There will be a serious problem because you can imagine where two brothers are fighting.
If two brothers cannot remember the oneness of blood running in their veins and go into fighting,it is always bloody because it’s wrong. But if you see one fighting,it goes too far because somebody must have triggered it negatively and you cannot say that the the person is my brother and for I can’t fight him. So, that’s why I keep encouraging the youth to toe the line of advocacy and equity which we are preaching that our brother should allow the turn of Leadership for Izhi people.
Some Ebonyians are saying that David is taking major developmental projects to South and in his home town precisely, what’s your take?
The hard truth is that,if I were him, I will do same because if power comes to Izhi and by divine will I happen to become the governor of the state; who will tell me that Izhi with all the local government Areas in Izhi land will not have over development compare to other areas.
The issue is practical but that’s the truth people don’t like to tell themselves rather they hide in Pretence.
When His Excellency,our Senator Dr Sam Egwu was the governor,Mgbo was the centre of enjoyment and Ohaukwu witnessed tremendous and rapid development with roads including fresh air of atmosphere more than any other part of the state.
Also, during Chief Elechi’s time same thing happened but we’re quick to forget. If at this point in time that His Excellency Goveri Umahi has touched all the LGAs’, every parts of the state has had benefit of his good governance and he didn’t touch his own local government,it will be a big slap on himself.
Once a governor emerged in any place,it is cultural that he makes his place to look like where governor has emerged, because if for any reason other states dignitaries visit his place and there’s no light,no road and the person is living in the bush, he will be castigated highly.
What’s the hope of Igbos come 2023?
The power rotation is the only way to have even development in the country it is based on this fact that I am calling our youths and stakeholders to see reason to that effect even at the national level.
I doubt if anybody is still happy with what is happening in the South East, to tell ourselves the truth. Igbo People are not happy with the way we are being treated as second class citizeny in our country that we contributed and still contributing highly to it’s success.
The fact that average Igbo man doesn’t wait for government to provide for him what feels he can do for himself through struggling should not make us nature salvitute.
If we are one of the major tribes in Nigeria among Hausa, and Yoruba, equity demands that we have equal power share of the position of presidency as have enjoyed and still enjoying by our sister tribes.
Igbos are so forgotten and it’s unfair ,as such, has provoked serious minds to ask;are we still part of Nigeria?
Every reasonable mind has always been touched once such question is raised because it’s unfair that one tribe that’s part and parcel of the country is suffering and struggling why they have no place in government of the country.
Most often,I tell people that the only problem we have in our political scenario is that we don’t allow Biblical injuction to stay in us which says,do to others what you would like them do unto you”.
I enjoined Nigerians to know that it is far better for us to imbibe on equity in our power sharing by making it rotational;which South East deserved to be given presidency come 2023, for that, election will be Peaceful devoid of crises and if there’s would be minimal.
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…To be continued*
