Traditional rulers from old Isuikwuato District urged political parties in Abia state to macro zone their governorship tickets to Abia North and also micro zone it to Isuikwuato according to the Abia Charter of Equity. The traditional rulers disclosed their position in a speech entitled, “The position and demand of Isuikwuato District in the Abia equation come 2023”.
They observed that Isuikwuato District (made up of Isuikwuato and Umunneochi local government areas)represented by the letter ‘I’ in the acronym from which Abia derived its name, has always been marginalized in Abia politics.
In the statement signed by the chairman of Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Godson Ezekwesiri and Secretary, Eze Uwadiegwu Ogbonnaya, the royal fathers insists that the time has come to end the lingered exemption of Isuikwuato from the power equation in Abia.
The Royal fathers who recalled on the agitations for the creation of Abia and the power sharing arrangement put in place by the founding fathers, were of the view that the rest of Abia have not been fair to Isuikwuato district. They stated that since the creation of Abia in 1991, none from Isuikwuato has occupied the position of Governor, Deputy Governor, Speaker of House of Assembly, Chief Judge, Head of Service, Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and notable other top government positions in the state. The traditional rulers cried out that the invalid narrative of merging Isuikwuato into old Bende has been direct tool to deny the district its rightful place in the scheme of things, thereby deviating from the Abia Charter of Equity, which is the basis for power sharing in the state.
“It is therefore of great concern and worry that since 2019, Abians have been lured and made to believe that what remains of Abia state today (with the exit of old Afikpo Division in 1996 to Ebonyi state) is made up of the old Bende and Aba Divisions”.
They challenged those selling the old Aba and old Bende dummy, to explain to the people why the Isuikwuato District with the letter “I” in the acronym has been completely forgotten in the scheme of things in Abia State.
“This is most unfair and a deviation from the dreams, of the founding fathers of the state,”.
In further pursuit of their demand for microzoning the governorship tickets to Isuikwuato, the traditional rulers appealed to other aspirants from Abia North to respect the Abia Charter of Equity, by stepping down for those from Isuikwuato, whom they urged to remain resolute in their pursuits.
“To our sons in the gubernatorial race, they should go ahead and not succumb to any other position below that of the Governor. This is our time and chance to produce the Governor of Abia State come 2023,” the traditional rulers stated.
