By Jeff Agbodo, Abakaliki
The Labour Party candidate for Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Dr Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has urged opposition political parties in Ebonyi State to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections to challenge what he described as political godfatherism and the concentration of power among a privileged few.
Ezeh accused influential political actors in the state of treating public offices, government institutions and state resources as private possessions.
The Oxford-trained entrepreneur and public affairs commentator made the call in a statement in which he criticised what he described as the concentration of political power, patronage and opportunities among a privileged circle of individuals and their families.
He alleged that some political stakeholders had turned public service into an avenue for advancing personal interests at the expense of ordinary citizens grappling with economic difficulties.
“Ebonyi is gradually becoming a state held hostage by a small but very self-serving prebendal political elite that has transformed public office into private property and political power into family inheritance,” he said.
The Labour Party candidate expressed concern over what he described as the growing influence of political godfathers in determining access to elective positions, alleging that some prominent politicians were securing political offices for their children and positioning them for higher responsibilities.
He warned that such practices, if left unchecked, could undermine democratic competition, weaken public accountability and restrict political opportunities to people with established connections to the political establishment.
Ezeh also criticised what he characterised as a patronage-driven system in which public contracts and political appointments were allegedly distributed as personal favours rather than on the basis of merit, transparency and the public interest.
He questioned the credibility of political stakeholders who convene meetings and zoning summits to discuss the state’s political future without, in his assessment, adequately addressing accountability for governance failures.
According to him, Ebonyi’s central challenge goes beyond competition among political parties to what he described as the consolidation of power within a privileged class increasingly detached from the concerns of ordinary citizens.
With the 2027 elections approaching, Ezeh urged opposition parties to set aside personal ambitions and internal divisions to build a common platform capable of offering voters a credible alternative.
“If Ebonyi is to be saved, the rescue mission will not come from the very people who created the crisis,” he said.
He argued that meaningful political change would require a departure from what he described as the politics of inheritance, patronage and elite capture.
However, Ezeh cautioned that opposition parties must also demonstrate credibility and a genuine commitment to reform, warning that a change in political leadership without corresponding changes in governance practices could leave the underlying problems unresolved.
Ezeh is a former Deputy President of the South-East Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (SECCIMA) and the current President of the Ebonyi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (EBCCIMA).
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