Stakeholders from Ohafia clan have intensified their call for an Ohafia indigene to emerge as the next chairman of the local government area, as the Pan Ohafia group met with the Deputy Governor of Abia State, His Excellency Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, FNSE, on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at the Government House, Umuahia.
The meeting, organised by the Ohafia Improvement Union Incorporated (OIU Inc.)—the umbrella body representing all organizations in Ohafia—saw the participation of key leaders from the Pan Ohafia group, including executive members of the Council of Ohafia Monarchs and the Ohafia Traditional Rulers Council.
During the meeting, stakeholders highlighted several pressing issues affecting the clan and made strong appeals regarding the upcoming local government elections scheduled to hold on Saturday, November 2, 2024. They expressed a united front on the need for Ohafia to produce the next chairman of the local government council, emphasizing that such a move would enhance political representation and development for the community.
The communiqué issued at the end of the meeting outlined the following observations and resolutions:
Read communique below
PAN OHAFIA MEETING
COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED BY PAN OHAFIA MEETING AT THE END OF ITS MEETING WITH HIS EXCELLENCY, ENGR. IKECHUKWU EMETU, FNSE, THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE, HELD ON THURSDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER 2024, AT THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE, UMUAHIA, ABIA STATE.
Preamble: The Ohafia Improvement Union Incorporated, the umbrella body of all organizations in Ohafia, led members of the Pan Ohafia group, comprising executive members of the Council of Ohafia Monarchs and the Ohafia Traditional Rulers Council, to meet with His Excellency, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, FNSE, on Thursday, 26 September 2024, at the Government House, Umuahia, Abia State.
After intense discussions on the current challenges in Ohafia in particular, and Abia State in general, the meeting noted that:
1. The state government has scheduled the local government election to hold on Saturday, 2 November 2024, in all the local government councils in Abia State to elect local government chairmen and councillors.
2. The meeting also noted a revelation that thousands of PVCs are lying unclaimed at the INEC office in Ohafia.
3. The meeting further noted the chronic power outage in Ohafia and the efforts so far made to restore electricity in Ohafia after many years.
4. The presence of several elected and appointed political office holders of Ohafia clan extraction in the current administration under Dr. Alex Chioma Otti was also noted.
5. The meeting also recognized the persistent and complex security challenges in Ohafia.
6. The lack of harmony among various groups in Ohafia, specifically between the Council of Ohafia Monarchs (Nde Ezieogo) and the Ohafia Traditional Rulers Council, was also noted, with a need to bring harmony for the coexistence of the two institutions.
In view of the above, the meeting resolved as follows:
(A) That the Pan Ohafia meeting resolved to ensure the election of an Ohafia person to the position of Ohafia Local Government Chairman in the forthcoming election.
(B) It was resolved that information will be disseminated to all villages in Ohafia regarding the collection of unclaimed PVCs at the INEC office, Amaekpu, Ohafia.
(C) The meeting strongly and unequivocally condemns the continuous vandalism of electricity infrastructure in Ohafia, including the recent theft of armoured cables along the Oboro-Okagwe axis, whose perpetrators are awaiting trial. It vows to collaborate with relevant government agencies to prosecute future offenders.
(D) The meeting stands resolute in addressing security challenges in Ohafia and will continue to support and encourage conventional security agencies in the fight against criminality in Ohafia.
(E) The meeting agreed to resolve the rift between the Council of Ohafia Monarchs (Nde Ezieogo) and the Ohafia Traditional Rulers Council in no distant time.
(F) The meeting agreed to strengthen the Ohafia Improvement Union Inc. (OIU) to meet the current leadership challenges in Ohafia.
(G) The Pan Ohafia group will set machinery in motion to boost the voting strength of Nde Ohafia against the 2027 elections.
(H) The meeting resolved to convene the Pan Ohafia meeting regularly to provide all necessary support and counter any challenge in Ohafia to ensure total success.
(I)The meeting agreed to receive all elected and appointed political office holders from Ohafia immediately after the local government election.
Dated this 26th day of September 2024.
Hon. Richard Agwu
Secretary General,
OIU Inc.
HRM Ezieogo Mba Odo Okereke
Secretary,
Council of Ohafia Monarchs
HRH Eze Dr. Ezera
Secretary,
Ohafia Traditional Rulers Council
