By Samson Nwafor
The Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) has fixed the State’s Local Government Council elections for Saturday, 25th April, 2020. All the political actors across the 13 Council Areas in
the State are already warming up for the exercise. In Ezza South Council Area, the story is not anything different.
Expectedly, those eyeing the council seat which is currently occupied by Hon. Sunday Ogodo JP have already put all their arsenals to work.
Unfortunately, some of them who are jittery and envious of the rising profile of Hon. Ogodo are seeing the election as a fight to finish as well as an ample opportunity to tame him from soaring higher. To them, it is a do or die affair.
They have since thrown their spanners to work by indulging in all manners of campaign of calumny against the workaholic Chairman. They are going about spreading false information against him, just to ensure they succeed in the evil plot. They go about telling anyone who cared to listen, that Hon. Ogodo had been sworn-in twice, as a local government Chairman and has been legally barred from seeking
re-election. According to them, he was first elected and sworn-in under the administration of Ex-Governor Egwu.
But the question is, to what extent is this story true? Egwu, during his tenure, had divided local government into Development Centres and consequently, Ezza South LGA was divided into two viz: Ezza South and Ezza East. Hon Ogodo coordinated Ezza South Centre comprising Five wards, whereas Cajethan Nweke Awo took charge of Ezza South East made up of seven wards.
This, in all honesty cannot even be regarded as a local government in the eyes of a lay man, let alone withstanding a legal scrutiny. The action of the then Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu was no doubt in the interest of the people. He wanted Government to be more nearer to the people, hence, the polarization of the council areas. But he got it all wrong.
Egwu was not alone in this, his colleagues in Katsina, Lagos, Nasarawa and Niger states did the same. But the fact is that it contravened the Nigerian constitution, which is the grundnorm. It is a trite law that
while State Houses of Assembly are empowered by the 1999 Constitution
to create new Local Government Areas, the National Assembly, is however, required under Section 8 -(5) of the Constitution, to make consequential provisions by an Act with respect to the names and Headquarters of the new Local Government Areas for any such new Local Government to have constitutional recognition.
In this case, the National Assembly did not make the necessary consequential provisions in respect of the said new Local Government Areas created by Egwu, and the elections of then Council Chairmen and Councilors outside the constituent Local Government Areas specified in Part I of the First Schedule to the Constitution, were in clear violation of the constitution of Nigeria.
It therefore, goes to mean that anybody who was elected a Council Chairman or Councilor under the then arrangement of Ex-gov Egwu’s administration, cannot and can never be said to have served in such
capacity in the eyes of the Nigerian constitution. See the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of the Attorney General of Lagos State Vs Attorney General of the Federation, (2004).
So, the noise in some quarters that Hon. Sunday Ogodo had been sworn-in as a Council Chairman before is out of ignorance and holds no water.
The truth is, ours is a local government where some politicians have penchant for unnecessary in-fighting. These set of politicians, don’t know when and how to fight, they fight carelessly, ceaselessly and dirty. But one thing they have failed to understand is that Ogodo is a man under grace and anointing. Every evil arrow shot at him, always backfires to the sender in thousands fold.
The point in fact is that a handful of politicians from Ezza South LGA are not happy with Ogodo. They are feeling that he is overshadowing them through his sterling performances. Since he assumed office as a Council boss, he has done what his predecessors were unable to do. He has brought positive changes in all ramifications.
Today, all the communities in Ezza South have one or more than two projects, either on-going or completed. All thanks to Governor Umahi, the source of his inspiration. Some communities that were hitherto without electricity have all been electrified. Onueke urban now has electricity after some years without functional transformer, as the workaholic Chairman has bought and installed a new transformer there. The people of Umunwagu Idembia, Ihoto, Inyima Amuzu, will ever remain grateful to this man for giving them electricity after decades of living in darkness.
A visit to the council Secretariat today will convince you that the change we desired has come. The council is wearing a new look. He completed the perimeter fencing of both the council and the onueke township stadium with modern gates just some months he came to the saddle. He also constructed a legislative and EBSIEC buildings that had dilapidated to a sorry state. Go to the Governor’s lodge in the council Secretariat and see what a man of vision does. He renovated and equipped the lodge and named it after Akubaraoha, our dear Governor.
Hon. Ogodo has also implemented to the latter, the agricultural revolution policies of Governor Umahi. The council now has its own farms, where it generates little revenues. The 10,000 capacity poultry farm established by the Council boss always comes to mind. He has religiously ensured he gave grants and improved seedlings to Farmers every planting season. These gestures have assisted farmers in the area in no small measure and encouraged our people including the youths to go into farming.
In infrastructure development, Ogodo has made unprecedented achievements. He has constructed roads in concrete pavement, reconstructed so many classroom blocks, built town hall, bridges and coverts, to some communities according to their pressing needs. Go to Eke Imoha market, you will testify that God is truly at work in Ezza South using Ogodo as His working tool. The market is now a beauty to behold. It now has an ultramodern shopping blocks, perimeter fencing and modern gates that have changed the face of the ancient market.
Ogodo has also made an indelible mark in the area of empowerment. Today, he remains arguably, the only Council Chairman in the State that have over 250 Aides who receive monthly stipends. He has also embarked on so many empowerment programmes that have touched the lives
of youths, women and the less privileged. Unlike other political office holders, he lives in the village. Daily, people besiege his home for assistance and he has never being tired of receiving and attending to their needs. This is what leadership is all about. He has demonstrated that leadership means sacrifice of time, resources, energy and everything given to one by God for the services of his people.
He has also drawn the people closer to God through the periodic prayer summits which the council organizes in conjunction with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). He equally made weekly prayers compulsory to workers and the political appointees serving under the council. This has changed the attitudes of the people for better and prosperity now abounds in the nooks and crannies of the council.
The greatest of the achievements of this trailblazer is security. Prior to his assumption of office, a day hardly pass without report of crime in Onueke metropolis. Traders and buyers at Eke Imoha transact their businesses in fear, because armed robbers were on rampage. They move from shop to shop on a broad day to rob the traders of their money and wares. But Ogodo has been able to end this anomaly, such that you can nowadays leave your shop open and still meet it the next day untampered. The vigilance group he set up has indeed paid off, in this regard.
The aggressive fight he launched against cultism has also changed the narrative. He has fought the scourge to a standstill. He first gave amnesty to cultists in the Council, organized elders and religious leaders to place a curse upon cultism, and later capped it with a bounty on any information about anyone involved in cultism found within the council area. As a result, not fewer than 70 cultists have renounced their membership. Today, he has made the council inhabitable for criminals and cultists. There are alot of other of achievements of Ogodo, too numerous to mention here.
The obvious truth is that some politicians in the council are just jittery and threatened by the growing popularity of Hon. Ogodo arising from his unprecedented achievements, focused and people-oriented leadership. Moreso, is the fact he is not sharing the people’s common patrimony with a few cabals who think is their birthright. This is why these few selfish individuals are against the popular opinion that Ogodo deserve a second term in office. But as a minority they are, they can only have their say, but the majority will certainly have their way, by reelecting Ogodo.
I am also unshaken by the fact that the Chief executive of our dear state, Chief David Umahi, is a man that cannot be pushed around. He knows what wants and at every point in time, and this case, cannot be different.
Governor Umahi also knows what the situation was in Ezza South before Ogodo assumed office. I also know that he knew how our people were killed like foul in the name of cultism, and the efforts Ogodo has made in fighting the menace. The Governor is also not unaware of the fact that Ogodo has brought to an end, the politically induced crises hitherto witnessed in Ezza South.
His Excellency is also aware that Ogodo leads in the implementation of
every policy and programme of his administration and stepping same
down to the grassroots. The Governor is equally in the know about the alarming rate of crimes in Onueke urban before Ogodo assumed office. So, Ogodo deserve a second tenure in order to consolidate on these divine achievements he has made so far.
In recap, therefore, I’m of the firm believe that His Excellency, the Governor, having shown and demonstrated his love for Ezza nation, cannot be a party to any plot aimed at putting the positive changes we are witnessing today in Ezza South in reverse gear. Because, any attempt at replacing Ogodo at this point in time is tantamount to taking us backward. God forbid!
Samson Nwafor writes from Onueke in Ezza South LGA.
