APC holds Solidarity rally for Tinubu, Nwifuru as Ishielu stakeholders demand power shift to Ezzagu
A coalition of stakeholders in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has called for the 2026 council chairmanship position to be zoned to the Ezzagu community in the interest of equity, justice, and fairness.
Their demand followed plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership to hold a one-million-man solidarity rally on Monday, October 26, 2025, in support of President Bola Tinubu, Governor Francis Nwifuru, and the incumbent council chairperson, Mrs Peace Ifeoma Agwu.
In a statement signed by the APC chairman of Ishielu Council, Hon. Ikechukwu Abba, the rally is scheduled to commence at Ezillo Junction by 7 a.m.
However, a group under the banner of Concerned Stakeholders of Ishielu Local Government expressed disappointment over the inclusion of Mrs Agwu’s re-election bid in the rally agenda.
A leader of the group, Felix Ukpabi, argued that it was the turn of the Ezzagu zone to produce the next council chairperson when the current tenure ends in August 2026.
“As everyone knows, it’s the turn of Ezzagu zone to produce the next chairman of Ishielu LGA. This is not just a matter of zoning, but a principle of fairness and equity that has guided our local government for years,” Ukpabi said.
“We strongly object to the endorsement of Hon. Chief Mrs Peace Ifeoma Agwu, as it undermines the rotational arrangement and disregards the aspirations of Ezzagu zone,” he added.
Ukpabi urged party members to resist any form of imposition, insisting that the APC leadership must uphold the zoning principle.
“We urge all stakeholders to reject this imposition and demand that the APC leadership respects the zoning arrangement. It’s time for Ezzagu zone to take the reins, and we should support a candidate from that zone,” he said.
He, however, reaffirmed the group’s support for President Tinubu and Governor Nwifuru, pledging “100 percent votes for APC in the 2027 general elections.”
Meanwhile, as political consultations intensify, veteran journalist and former vice-chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State Council, Comrade Benjamin Nworie, has declared his intention to contest the Ishielu chairmanship seat.
Nworie, a former member of the Governing Board of the Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC), said his aspiration aims to address the “marginalisation of Ezzagu zone” and consolidate on Governor Nwifuru’s achievements.
“My aspiration will address the marginalisation and injustice to Ezzagu zone for over two decades. If not for the intervention of Governor Francis Nwifuru in the construction of Ezillo-Ezzagu road, there would be no access route to the populated Ezzagu community,” he said.
“It is worrisome that despite being the voting strength of Ishielu Local Government, Ezzagu lacks all basic social amenities like road, electricity, water, and hospital. With experience and exposure, I will ensure that I consolidate the achievements of Governor Francis Nwifuru in Ishielu Council area if elected,” he assured.
Nworie urged APC members to support both his aspiration and the re-election of President Tinubu and Governor Nwifuru in 2027.
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