Ebonyi: Ohaozara residents back Osborn Umahi as chairman

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

The people of Ohaozara Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, have declared support for Osborn Umahi, son of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.

Umahi, 28, was among the 13 newly elected council chairmen sworn in on Tuesday by Governor Francis Nwifuru.

At a civic reception organised for Umahi in Obiozara, Ohaozara Local Government Area, on Tuesday evening, the people pledged their unalloyed support for him.

Addressing the large crowd at the event, the Chairman of the Occasion and former Commissioner for Health, Dr Daniel Umezuruike, described him as a vibrant and intelligent young man who would transform the local government area.

“I want to say that the coming onboard of Engr. Osborn Umahi as the council chairman is divine because I have been following events that led to his emergence.

“We the people of Ohaozara Local Government Area have a very organized system of rotation and power sharing.

“The people of Ugwulangwu have gone for four years of two tenures, the people of Okposi just completed their own four years of two tenures.

“Since few months, the people of Uburu whose turn it is to produce the chairman of the local government, have been clamouring for Osborn Umahi, son of our father, Senator David Umahi, a father par excellence, a leader par excellence.

“From the other axis, the state Governor Francis Nwifuru, came to this local government and said that he will like the son of our father to become the chairman of the local government.

“In the last stakeholders meeting, the governor declared that the position should be given to Osborn Umahi and the entire people of Ohaozara became very happy.

“During campaigns for the local government, Ohaozara people unanimously accepted Osborn for the position and they came out en masse and voted for him during the election proper and he got over 63,000 votes,” Umezuruike said.

Also speaking, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in the state, Chief Samuel Okoronkwo, said Osborn’s emergence had brought freedom to the people of the local government.

“Today is a day of freedom, freedom from intimidation, freedom from unnecessary shackles of mispremitaton,” he declared.

Osborn, while addressing the people, assured them of transparent and purposeful governance.

He commended the people of the local government for electing him.