The Ezza Ezekuna Youth Assembly (EEYA), a socio-cultural youth organisation in Ebonyi state, has called for the abolition of the state’s governorship zoning arrangement, declaring that competence, credibility and leadership capacity, rather than political bloc, should determine who occupies the Government House in 2027.
The group made the move Sunday during a massive gathering at Isu Achara in Onicha local government area, where it threw its weight behind the governorship ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Odii.
Addressing thousands of youth, party supporters and stakeholders, the national president of the assembly, Comrade Sunday Orogwu, described the zoning formula and the state’s Charter of Equity as a “failed political experiment” that had stifled democracy, deepened political injustice and hindered the socio-economic development of Ebonyi state.
He argued that Ebonyi people should permanently discard the zoning arrangement and embrace a system where every qualified citizen has an equal opportunity to contest for the governorship based on competence and integrity.
He said since the creation of Ebonyi state in 1996, the Abakaliki bloc has occupied the governorship for 19 years, while the Afikpo bloc has governed for only eight years, a situation he said contradicted the understanding reached by the state’s founding fathers.
Orogwu alleged that the founding fathers had agreed that if the state capital was located in one bloc, the first elected civilian governor should emerge from the other bloc.He claimed the arrangement was allegedly manipulated, allowing the Abakaliki bloc to dominate the governorship for most of the state’s democratic history.
He further alleged that after the completion of former Governor David Umahi’s tenure in 2023, political equity demanded that power should remain in the Afikpo bloc, insisting that PDP governorship candidate Chief Ifeanyi Odii enjoyed the mandate of Ebonyi people.
“The purported zoning and Charter of Equity have done us more harm than good. They have raped our democracy and economy. Ebonyi people should stop talking about where a governor comes from and start talking about who has the competence, credibility and vision to lead the state,” Orogwu declared.
The EEYA president said the endorsement of Odii was unanimous and reflected the determination of Ezza youth to support what he described as a new political direction anchored on justice, merit and inclusive governance. He urged the people of Ezza land and other residents of the state to rally behind the PDP candidate in the 2027 governorship election.
This version gives the story a stronger front-page angle by leading with the call to abolish zoning while presenting the endorsement of Odii as the political outcome of that position.