From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The leadership, elders, women, and youth of various Eha-Amufu communities have united against the recent protests by the women from Eha-Ohuala, Eha-Amufu Ward III, denouncing them as politically driven.
This reaction came as unfolding events have exposed the protests as a political ploy rather than a genuine outcry against herders’ excesses. The women of Eha-Ohuala, known as a Labour Party stronghold and the hometown of the party’s 2023 governorship candidate are now being accused of using security concerns to mask their political agenda.
In a viral voice note on Thursday, human rights activist and Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Richard Ogenyi, decried the attacks on those with opposing views. He claimed that his wife and children were targeted after he told visiting journalists that there had been no recent mass killings in Eha-Amufu, contradicting the claims made by the protesting women in widely circulated videos.
Reports from Eha-Amufu on Thursday and Friday indicated that leaders and youth from other communities accused the Eha-Ohuala women of misleading the public.
“Initially, they said, the protests appeared to be about herders’ attacks, only for it to become clear that they were politically motivated. They alleged that the women were deliberately targeting members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Eha-Amufu Ward III,” Ogenyi said.
However, Isi-Uzo Council Chairman, Hon Obiora Obeagu, reportedly urged PDP supporters not to retaliate.