A socio-cultural organization in Ebonyi State, Ezza Ezekuna Development Association, EEDA, has declared that the governorship seat in the state must remain in Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone till the 2031 general election, for justice, fairness, equity and political stability.

EEDA dismissed the recent communique issued by a group describing itself as the Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council, in support of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  candidate, Ifeanychukwuma Odii, from the Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone.

It declared that the Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council has no legal existence as it is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and has no constitutional foundation within the constituent clans of Umuekumenyi.

Briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abakaliki, National President of the association, Chief Kingsley Akam, Secretary, Comrade Uchechukwu Edeh, and a member of the association, Professor Chike Emmanuel Onwe, said EEDA aligns itself with the established zoning arrangement governing political succession in the state.

It insisted that Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone must be allowed to complete its own two tenures of the governorship seat as done by other two senatorial zones in the state.

“The Ezza Ezekuna Development Association believes firmly in justice, fairness, equity and political stability. These are not abstract values to be invoked in ceremony and abandoned in practice.

“They are the operative principles upon which durable inter-communal harmony is built, and they have contributed significantly to the peace and progress enjoyed across Ebonyi State since its creation.

“We align ourselves fully with the established zoning arrangement governing political succession in Ebonyi State, and we do so not as a new or recent conversion but as an expression of a position that the leaders and people of Ezza Ezekuna have previously declared and consistently maintained.

“That position has never changed, and it shall not change. The governorship of Ebonyi State remains, in accordance with the prevailing zoning understanding, in Ebonyi North until 2031. No reasonable Ezza person, properly informed of the history of our state and properly committed to the collective stability of Ebonyi, would oppose this arrangement. Those who do so act neither on behalf of Ezza people nor in the interest of the peace that all our communities depend upon.

“The so-called Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council has no legal existence. It is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. It has no constitutional foundation within the traditions or governance structures of any of the constituent clans of Umuekumenyi.

“It is, in plain terms, a contraption — assembled hurriedly and without mandate by individuals pursuing personal political agendas under the cover of a name designed to create the illusion of collective authority. The public, the media and all relevant institutions are advised to treat it as such,” Akam said.