Former campaign spokesman of President Bola Tinubu in the Southeast, Dr. Josef Onoh, has said that it is the turn of Ogui-Nike community and not Enugu-Ngwo, to produce the next chairman of Enugu North local government council, in the February 2024 council elections in Enugu state.
Onoh made the disclosure in a meeting he held with the stakeholders of Ogui-Nike community at Premier layout Ogui-Nike, on Monday.
Onoh, an indigene of Enugu-Ngwo, represented Enugu North local government state constituency in the House of Assembly between 2003 and 2007, a commissioner in the office of the Governor and Chairman of Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), among other political positions before he contested for Governorship of the state, after which he exited the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and joined the Bola Tinubu’s 2023 Renewed Hope presidential campaign.
Onoh said that he wants posterity to vindicate him for standing on the path of truth, and would not twist an accord reached between the two indigenous communities of Ogui and Ngwo that make up Enugu North urban council area.
According to Onoh, he (Onoh) warned the previous administration and stakeholders of the danger in fielding the then incumbent House of Assembly member from Ngwo, for another second term of four years in the House of Assembly, when he, the former House of Assembly member, had already done four years in the legislature from 2019 to 2023.
He said that the agreement between both communities was to alternate political positions amongst them in single tenures, each, stressing that if Enugu-Ngwo community held the house of Assembly seat, Ogui-Nike will hold the local government chairmanship for four years and vice verse.
He recalled that the political accord was reached after the 1999 general elections which produced an urban dweller from Ezeagu Local government into the House of Assembly, and in 2003 a rotation arrangement was agreed and he emerged the first indeginous member to hold that position.
Onoh said that there was the violation of accord by the immediate past House of Assembly member from Enugu -Ngwo to the detriment of the both communities which the violator eventually lost in the polls, and still pursued his mandate at the election tribunal and also lost.
“This selfish ambition made another non-indigene win the 2023 election for the Enugu North state constituency in the House of Assembly. So I ask, had the former House of Assembly member who was a product and beneficiary of that rotation agreement that ushered him into the house of Assembly in 2019 won the 2023 elections for a second term, will Enugu-Ngwo community still come out to run for the 2024 local government elections?”
Going down memory lane, he further recalled that there was a parley they held in June 2003 during the former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani administration with Senator Ike Ekweremadu, late Sam Ejiofor, late Igwe Onyioha Nwanjoku, late Hon. John Ukwuani among others, where they endorsed the rotation agreement for peace and tranquility, disclosing that he rejected an offer for him to do a second term in the House of Assembly in 2007 in obedience to the accord.
“The agreement includes the Local government and house of Assembly political position in Enugu North local government with exceptions of the House of Representatives, Senate or any other one. Hon. Philip Nnamani from Ogui wanted to do a second term in the House of Assembly in 2019 but I raised objections and advised the former governor against it and he took my advice and we opted to pick a concensus candidate from Enugu-Ngwo.
“Irrespective of any narrative that might have been circulated, I single handedly with the immense support of the former Governor was 100 percent instrumental to the emergence of the former House of Assembly member in 2019 despite vehement protest from almost every major stakeholders from Enugu-Ngwo community against his emergence and not one single Ogui – Nike indigene purchased electoral form to contest against him.
“I supported him not because he was my first cousin but because I knew he had the competence to represent us in the state Assembly which he did and I’m forever grateful to former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for giving me such an honour and respect. My cousin emerged and I supported him because he is from Ngwo, but I reminded him about the agreement for a single term for each side and he agreed to honour it.
“He went to the House of Assembly and in 2023 he wanted to go back and I said no I won’t support his candidacy. Governor Ugwuanyi already appointed an Ngwo indegine as SPA , myself as Chairman of Enugu Capital Territory, and elected member of the Enugu State House Assembly. Sadly no Ogui-Nike indigene was accommodated during his second term in office. Today, a non-indigene who doesn’t know his local government stakeholders is representing us in the House of Assembly.”
Onoh clarified that he was not seeking for any political position nor intrested in any state based politics as his present position in promoting the renew hope of President Tinubu was okay for him, but that he wants peace to reign between the two indigenous communities, adding that his intervention in the political impasse was also to help Governor Peter Mbah, who he said they share good friendship spaning over 20 years, to experience good governance without rancour in the local government.
“Ogui-Nike people did not ask me to say all these, it’s out of my own volition. I’ve told my people from Ngwo that I won’t support any of them contesting for the Enugu North local government chairmanship in the 2024 council election because now is the turn of Ogui-Nike, because they opted to run for the state assembly rather than honour the agreement. Enugu-Ngwo can make do with deputy chairmanship until 2027.
“I came here to tell you people that it’s Ogui’s turn to produce the next Chairman and I’ve told the Governor the true position of affairs, hence no one can try to deceive him with any wrong narratives. Assuming the immediate past house of Assembly member from Enugu-Ngwo won the House of Assembly seat for a second term, would anybody from Ngwo have come out to say that they want local government chairmanship? Having breached that agreement, there must be consequences for every action that goes against the collective intrest of the common good.
“Now Ngwo have positions in the present administration but Ogui has none. I came here to tell you people that it’s your turn to go for local government chairmanship in the next four years, after which we can come back to a round table in 2027. This is a matter of principle and for posterity,”Onoh told the Ogui-Nike community stakeholders.
Responding, the President General of Ogui-Nike community, Mr. Titus Ifesi Alum expressed appreciation to Onoh for standing on fairness and in the truth. “Our people will never forget and when time comes, we will pay you back.”
Also, the President General of Umunevo Ogui-Nike autonomous community, Barrister Chukwunulo Ede recalled that the grandfathers of Ogui-Nike and Enugu-Ngwo had previously made agreements in the past, before the Hubert Orji administration of the Enugu North local government, whom he said his agreement continued working until an individual rose to undermine it.
“God will reward you for standing on the path of truth, we’ll stand by any of your future political endeavour,” Ede assured Onoh.
