Ishiagu (Ebonyi) The Government of Ebonyi State has commended the peaceful conducted of election that ushered in a new leadership of Ngwogwo Community Development Union (NCDU) in Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi.
The election held Saturday, February 17 at the Ngwogwo Community Primary School (NCPS) saw the emergence of a nine-man executive committee led by Mr Sunday Ogbonna also known as Peacemaker.
The election our correspondent brought to an end of the leadership of Mr Paul Ngara who was alleged to have plotted for tenure elongation to July, 2024
Chief Donatus Illang, Commissioner for Internal Security, Border Peace and Conflict Resolution and leader of the Ebonyi Government delegation who observed the exercise commended the people of Ngwogwo community for the peaceful conduct of the election.
He charged the winners to be magnanimous in victory and work with every stakeholder for the overall development of the community.
He said: “Seeing what is happening here has shown that there no group, no faction in Ngwogwo and indeed, I want you to demonstrate ; apply every effort to know and work for the development of Ngwogwo community never you betray this crowd you are seeing here.
“Your tenure ends on the January 5, 2027 when your three year tenure will elapse and for anybody coming to takeover, it has to be a time Ngwogwo do its election which January 5,” Illang said.
Speaking after the election, Chief Emmanuel Aja, Chairman of Ivo LGA reminded the elected officers of the need to pursue peace and to ensure that the People’s Charter of Needs’ mantra of the State Government under Chief Francis Nwifuru was domesticated in the Community and religiously implemented.
This, the Chairman said that they should do by ensuring that the revenue and resources accruing to the community were used for the overall development of the community including human capital development.
The Chairman reminded the new executive members who were immediately sworn in that their tenure of three years would expire by January 5, 2027, according to the Constitution of the Ngwogwo community and charged them to work to justify the trust of their people who voted them to office.
Aja who stressed the need for peace maintained that there must be ‘peace in Ivo LGA, peace in Ngwogwo and peace throughout the 17 communities in Ishiagu’ and appealed to those seeking to distabilise the community for their selfish interests to have a change of heart.
He noted that all the elected officials were people chosen by the Ngwogwo people themselves and not by the imposition of any of anybody including the commissioners, Ishiagu Community Development Union (ICDU) or himself.
“Now that the people have freely elected you to serve them, please serve them creditably. Build roads and people-oriented infrastructure, give empowerment and emulate other communities that are doing well in their leadership.
“Okue community is doing road, Amokwe is doing drainages and road construction, Amaeze, Amonye are doing well in providing good leadership and infrastructure to their people; if you don’t perform, after three years you will be voted out,” the Chairman said.
He urged the new leadership not to compromise the security of the community and to align with the local and State governments’ arrangements for the peace and security of lives and property of all citizens.
Our correspondent also reports that there were presence of some security operatives drawn from the Nigerian Army, Police, DSS and the Civil Defence Corps to provide security before, during and after the election; the orderliness of the natives as well as the joy the people expressed by been allowed to freely elect their leaders.
The election was conducted via an Option A4 voting system which required that voters queue behind their preferred candidates and counting is done publicly to the hearing of everybody.
The election was the first in the recent history of community elections in Ngwogwo to have taken place without any pre or post-election violence which was attributed to the leadership prowess of the Ivo Council boss .
“The peaceful elections in recent times in Amaeze, Amaonye, Ihietutu, Amaokwe, Okue and Ngwogwo as well as the October 14 election of ICDU Federsted are clear testaments to the fact that Chief Emmanuel Aja is a man of peace with an agenda for peacebuilding.” ENDS//
