EBONYI: Ezza and the Politics of Power, Why 2031 is a Fantasy Under Nwifuru Administration
Jerry Uhuo, PhD
“Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.” -Orison Swett Marden
Great scholars of events have defined history as “man in action across time”. History was respected by them because it governs the birth, the rise and fall of every phenomenon. They believed that those who ignore the lessons of history will suffer from the cyclical law of amnesia. History is filled with examples of communities blessed with population, intellect and resources, yet deprived of political influence because they lacked organization. The painful lesson repeated across generations is that a divided majority can easily become subordinate to a disciplined and organized minority. In politics, numbers matter, but unity matters even more. That is the bane of Ezza nation.
Today, what is evident on the lips of every Ezza man is the agitation to get power in 2031. The Power to govern Ebonyi State. There is nothing that will make any Ezza man to trust anyone who is not discussing and promising to handover power to an Eza man in 2031. The administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru has exploited the desperation to a continuous fake promise to handover to Ezza man to get their votes in 2027. He deliberately avoided the endorsement organised for him at the headquarters of Ezza nation at Onueke and sent his Deputy because he did not want to commit himself. He allegedly told Ezza elites and businessmen who paid him a solidarity visit that he was going to handover power to Ezza man but not those educated, to give the impression that any of the businessmen could be the anointed one. Those ones were elated and raised a hundred-million-naira support to him for the 2027 election.
Unfortunately, only very few of Ezza people understand the political dynamics and that Ezza man is not on the agenda of Governor Nwifuru for 2031 if he wins the 2027 elections. The calculation is simple and straightforward. Governor Nwifuru if he wins in 2027 is believed to be preparing someone in Ishileu in the same Ebonyi Central to take over from him in 2031. The person would naturally go for eight years and handover to the South for another eight years. The power would return to the North for eight years. That would be 24 years. That is the time any consideration may be given to an Ezza man on serious negotiation for subservience role. It is pure deceit for anyone in the administration of Governor Nwifuru to claim that Ezza man will be handed over power in 2031. In politics, power is not given on a platter of gold.
The only window for Ezza man to get power in 2031 is through Chief Ifeanyichukwuma Odii who is coming under the PDP. It is not about the sentiments of zoning. The issue of zoning was defeated when the charter of equity promoted in the wake of the creation movement of Ebonyi State was dishonoured in 1999. The ambition of Chief Ifeanyi Odii is to do one term of four years as governor and handover to an Ezza man. And even if he chooses to do eight years, the next beneficiary would still be an Ezza man and that would have shortened the 24-year journey Governor Nwifuru’s channel would have imposed on Ezza. Any Ezza man supporting Governor Nwifuru with the hope of getting power in 2031 is living under illusion.
The Ezza man should be remined that Governor Nwifuru is not alone in taking the decision of where to handover power to. He has stakeholders and those stakeholders are not Ezza people. Ezza people should be reminded that the Ezza Ezillo war happened under the administration of Chief Martin Elechi and Ezza people were dislocated from their homes. The Ezza Effium war came under Engr David Umahi and Ezza people suffered similar fate. Ezza people have been attacked at different locations in Ebonyi at various times.
Today, Ezza people have presence in over nine local government areas of Ebonyi State. Whether this expansion translates to votes is not the issue, there is the fear of dominance if Ezza man becomes governor and the fear of what happens with regard to those areas where Ezza people were displaced and reduced to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their own state.
Ezza people are counting on their demographic strengths even without corresponding voting statistics to justify. However, the struggle for power is rarely won by those who merely possess demographic strength. It is won by those who understand strategy, timing and collective action. A people may be many in number and still remain spectators in the affairs that determine their future. In Ebonyi State, few would dispute the demographic significance of the Ezza people. Their presence stretches across all thirteen local government areas of the state with concentration in nine, making them one of the most widespread and influential social groups in Ebonyi’s political landscape.
Yet there exists a growing sentiment among many Ezza sons and daughters that their numerical strength has not translated into commensurate political and developmental benefits. Such perceptions have increasingly shaped discussions about representation, inclusion and equity within the state. Have we asked ourselves why no Ezza man has been appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria since 1999. No Ezza man has been appointed an ambassador. No Ezza man has held any position at the federal level in terms of head of federal parastatals.
Even though it was an Ezza man who was the pioneer Chairman of the PDP which produced the first governor of Ebonyi state in 1999, he allowed the governorship to go to Ebonyi North. In 2003 when Senator Vincent Usulor contested the primary election under the opposition party controlled by the Abuja Group that held sway, it was the hatred for Ezza people that derailed his ambition as the leader of the group denied him the ticket. The same leader is still a major stakeholder in the politics of the state today. He would never have anything to do with an Ezza man. How possible that such stakeholder working with Governor Nwifuru will support an Ezza man to become governor? Whether these historical grievances are entirely accurate or open to differing interpretations, one fact remains undeniable: political memories endure far longer than political offices. Communities rarely forget moments they perceive as missed opportunities or denied aspirations. What Ezza people need is unity now.
Those who hold authority understand a simple truth: a united people are difficult to control. That is why they will never allow Ezza to unite. They will do everything to create division using those who accepted to serve to propagate fake promises and deceive the people to accept such promises. Power is attractive, and those who possess it seldom surrender it willingly. Throughout history, political actors have often sought to preserve influence through alliances, persuasion and sometimes division among rival groups.
The wise man repairs his roof before the rains begin. Hope is important, but strategy is indispensable. The most portent strategy for Ezza man today to get power in 2031 is to support Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii in the 2027 governorship election. The reason is rooted not merely in immediate political calculations but in a broader vision of future power sharing and inclusion. Odii has private sector accomplishments, entrepreneurial experience and philanthropic engagements as evidence of administrative competence and leadership. He is coming to build and not to consume and destroy. Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii winning in 2027 could establish a new political understanding capable of expanding inclusion across various blocs in Ebonyi State because leadership built on broad participation tends to produce stronger institutions and more enduring partnerships.
It must be stated without equivocation that decisive electoral backing for Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii in 2027 by Ezza people represents the most practical and achievable pathway toward realizing the long-standing aspiration of producing an Ezza governor. The reason is rooted on strategic alliance rather than sentiment. In politics, opportunities rarely come to those who wait passively for history to favour them. The lesson from history remains simple and enduring: numbers without organization rarely produce power. If the Ezza people truly aspire to greater political representation including getting power in 2031, unity must become a guiding principle rather than a campaign slogan. A river divided into many streams loses its force before reaching the ocean, but a united current carves its path through stone. Chief Ifeanyi Odii is the pathway. Ezza nation this our time. Do not fall for the empty and fake promises of Governor Francis Nwifuru.