From Fred Itua, Abuja
Some members of the Great Elite of Ezekuna (GEE), a socio-cultural group in Ebonyi state, have disowned one of its leaders for openly campaigning for the governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Francis Ogbonna Erishi Nwifuru to succeed governor Dave Umahi in the state.
The group said any support for Nwifuru to become the next governor in Ebonyi is a direct support for the incumbent governor Umahi for the 3rd time as a governor.
In a statement titled ‘Chief Chibuike Orogwu is on a lone journey’, released and signed on Sunday by a pioneer member of the group, Pascal Oluchchukwu, said the state “does not need a stooge as the leader of the Ebonyi people.”
The statement urged the general public, especially the Ebonyi voters “be aware of the position of the GEE and be in the know that Orogwu is dancing alone.”
The Ezza Ezekuna Elite Forum statement read: “The attention of the Great Elite of Ezekuna has been drawn to the inordinate political activities of one of her sons, Chief Chibuike Orogwu popularly known as Baby-oku.
“We, the members of this noble Forum wish to state categorically that the Great Elite of Ezekuna has no hand in the hanky-panky political movement of Chief Orogwu. He is on his own. We can’t support Hon. Nwifuru to become a governor because it’s the same thing as voting for Umahi for the 3rd time as a governor.
“We don’t need a stooge as the leader of the Ebonyi people. Orogwu is a businessman who might have reached a business agreement with either Umahi or Nwifuru and that’s none of our business.
“He can go ahead and support whomever he wants to support because it’s his fundamental human right. But the dignity of the Elite group should not be tempered because of any private or personal political engagement.
“Any sensible Ezza man should be concerned with the bizarre utterances of Hon Nwifuru, his threats to the people of Ezza Nation, and how he will publicly apologize to us and not support his evil ambition.
“Ezekuna as the eldest son of Ekumenyi should not be threatened. We are not cowards. We can’t be subdued by the ranting threats of a man who wants to turn Ebonyi state into a two-man business centre.
“We can’t be turned into an endangered specie on our land. Let it be known that anyone or group of persons championing the same political course as Nwifuru is not doing that for the interest of the Ezza nation.”