A business mogul and community leader in the Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Chief Julius Ama Orji, aka “Ochiri Edda Worldwide,” has endorsed former Minister of State for Health Mr. Joseph Ekumankama for the House of Representatives contest in the Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency in 2027.
Chief Orji maintained that calls for the continued occupation of the Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency seat by anyone from Afikpo LGA were unfair to the people of Edda LGA, saying it was Edda’s turn to represent the constituency.
Fielding questions from journalists on Friday, he said equity demands that Edda LGA produce the next federal legislator.
“For the sake of equity and fairness, it’s the turn of the Edda people to produce the next lawmaker for the Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency,” he said. “We are not arguing about it with anybody or any group. This is how it should be, and the people of Afikpo know this.”
According to him, the people of Afikpo LGA have occupied the position for 20 years since the return of civilian rule in 1999, which marked Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, while Edda has only had eight years.
“If it were a property, both Afikpo and Edda LGAs co-own it. So one wonders why Afikpo should keep pushing to go back after spending 20 years in the position,” he said. “We are saying it’s Edda’s turn to take a shot at the constituency.”
He lamented that Edda has never been adequately represented in the Green Chamber and challenged those previously elected from Afikpo LGA to point to any democratic dividends they brought to Edda land.
“It’s Edda’s turn because we have been abysmally shortchanged,” he said. “Twenty years is not 20 days, weeks, or months; it’s 20 years, and that’s enough to build and transform a society. We have only had eight years.
“And what have we got? Underrepresentation, underperformance, self-enrichment, and the award of projects to cronies, brothers, and sisters. This must stop,” he added.
He said it would be an act of injustice for an Edda man to vote against any Edda aspirant from any political party in the current dispensation, adding, “I endorse Joseph Ekumankama for the House of Representatives.
“It’s because it’s Edda’s turn to represent the constituency at this time. I caution that it will be an act of injustice for any Edda man to vote against any Edda aspirant in this political period.
“Let’s not make a mistake about this. Even Afikpo people have said that Idu Igariwey should not go back again, that it’s Edda’s turn to produce the next representative. So I warn our people not to trade their conscience for money. Edda delegates and voters should not work against themselves. Support Edda to support their own to emerge in the current political dispensation,” he said.
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