Governor Mbah of Enugu State,
A socio-political group, Equity and Integrity Group, has called for strict adherence to the established rotation of political offices based on development centres in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, insisting that fairness demands the next council chairmanship be ceded to Eha-Amufu West Development Centre.
The group, in a statement made available to DAILY GAZETTE, traced the evolution of power sharing in Isi-Uzo, noting that before the creation of development centres, political rotation was largely between Eha-Amufu and Igbo Eno, with an informal understanding that elective offices such as the chairmanship and House of Assembly seat would not be held by the same bloc at the same time.
According to the group, the creation of development centres by the Enugu State Government redefined power rotation in the council area, making the centres the basis for equitable distribution of political offices.
This arrangement, they said, has guided political transitions in Isi-Uzo since 2008.
They recalled that in 2008, Dr. Sam C. Ugwu from Ikem in Isi-Uzo Central Development Centre was elected council chairman and served a full term before handing over to Hon. Augustine Nnamani from Neke in Amanyi Development Centre.
This, the group said, marked a departure from the old Eha-Amufu–Igbo Eno rotation and entrenched the development-centre-based power-sharing formula.
The statement further noted that between 2008 and 2015, Igbo Eno occupied the chairmanship position for eight uninterrupted years, while Eha-Amufu held the State House of Assembly seat, a situation that was generally accepted as fair at the time.
The group argued that current agitations by some interests in Igbo Eno for both the chairmanship and the House of Assembly seat contradict the same principles of equity earlier upheld.
They pointed out that Isi-Uzo Central Development Centre (Igbo Eno) currently occupies the State Assembly seat through Hon. Gabriel Eze of Umualor, yet is also pushing to produce the next council chairman.
They described as contradictory the position of a university professor from Umualor who, according to them, led protests in 2019 demanding the House of Assembly seat, but is now reportedly at the forefront of consultations for the chairmanship while the Assembly seat remains within his immediate family.
On the claims by Mbu community in Amanyi Development Centre, the group dismissed their agitation as unfounded, recalling that Mbu benefitted from what it described as a deviation from the rotation principle in 2020 when Hon. Jacob Abonyi served as council chairman under the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
They also noted that Mbu currently holds the APC local government chairmanship position in Isi-Uzo.
The group stressed that Eha-Amufu West Development Centre has not held any significant elective or appointive position in the last six years and should, in the interest of fairness and balance, be allowed to produce the next chairman of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area.
It listed key political offices currently occupied by Igbo Eno across its two development centres, Isi-Uzo Central and Amanyi, to include the State House of Assembly seat, a commissioner slot, the APC local government chairmanship, a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, and the Secretary of the Enugu State Security Trust Fund.
In contrast, the group noted that Eha-Amufu, which also has two development centres—East and West—currently holds only the council chairmanship through Eha-Amufu East.
The Equity and Integrity Group therefore appealed to stakeholders with access to Governor Peter Mbah to present him with what it described as accurate historical and political context to guide a just decision, warning that any deviation from the established rotation framework could undermine unity and equity in Isi-Uzo.
