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The first civilian governor of Ebonyi state, Dr Sam Ominyi Egwu, has rejected move to turn the 2026 stakeholders political summit into a platform for endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term, insisting that the gathering was convened to strengthen governorship zoning and political stability in the state.
Egwu, who chaired the summit held at the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Abakaliki, said the event was not a political party affair and was not organised to adopt any presidential candidate.
He spoke in reaction to a motion moved by the senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, seeking the endorsement of Tinubu for a second term in office.
According to Egwu, the concept of the summit had been discussed and agreed upon by stakeholders before the event, with the primary objective of consolidating the zoning arrangement for the governorship position among the three senatorial zones of Ebonyi state.
He maintained that the gathering was intended to reaffirm stakeholders’ commitment to the arrangement, which he said had helped promote peaceful coexistence and address concerns about marginalisation among the zones.
The former governor consequently described Nwebonyi’s motion endorsing Tinubu as procedurally invalid and without effect, arguing that it fell outside the agreed purpose of the summit.
Also speaking, former senator representing Ebonyi South, Anthony Agbo, described the summit as a broad-based gathering that transcended political party affiliations.
Agbo said the gathering would send a strong message about how Ebonyi people should conduct themselves and preserve their collective identity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also dismissed claims that 95 per cent of participants at the summit belonged to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the figure as a fabrication.
“Whoever did such statistics, I don’t know where he did his survey from that 95 per cent of the people here are from APC,” Agbo said, pointing to Egwu and other prominent attendees who were not members of the ruling party.
One of the conveners, Obinna Ogba, said the summit was organised to bring Ebonyi people together, encourage dialogue and reach decisions that would promote unity and eliminate divisions among stakeholders.
He stressed that peace was essential to development and the survival of democracy, adding that political differences should not prevent leaders from working together for the common good of the state.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, highlighted infrastructure projects being undertaken by the Tinubu administration, particularly road, bridge and railway developments across the South-East.
Umahi said the projects would improve connectivity between communities and states, facilitate commerce and promote economic growth.
He also commended cooperation between the Federal Government and the Ebonyi state government in facilitating infrastructure development.
The summit’s deliberations have brought the issue of political zoning and the boundaries of stakeholder consensus to the fore, as political leaders navigate questions of fairness, inclusion and presidential support ahead of the 2027 elections.
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