AHIAZU MBAISE/EZINIHITTE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTION: MBAISE’S CONTINUED SURVIVAL AT RISK -

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AHIAZU MBAISE/EZINIHITTE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTION: MBAISE’S CONTINUED SURVIVAL AT RISK

_By Mr. Tony Odirichukwu FLSI. MILD_

*The Question Before Mbaise Is Bigger Than Any Political Party*

The truth that many people may not fully appreciate is that Mbaise, as a political and administrative entity, emerged in 1945 through the deliberate efforts of the leaders of the five constituent clans that came together to pursue a common purpose.

There was nothing accidental about that union. The coming together of the five clans was a strategic decision by our forefathers to create an administrative arrangement that would bring government closer to the people and reduce the difficulties associated with frequent journeys to Owerri to access the colonial administration.

It was also an effort to develop a common and united strategy for engaging the colonial authorities, thereby creating greater opportunities for development across the constituent communities.

In the early discussions, the leaders and people of Umuohiagu and Obiangwu, now in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, were also involved. However, following their decision not to proceed with the proposed division, five clans continued the discussions and eventually constituted what became Mbaise:

1. Agbaja

2. Oke-Uvuru

3. Ahiara

4. Ezinihitte

5. Ekwerazu

The adoption of the name Mbaise therefore represented more than the creation of an administrative unit. It embodied a fundamental understanding among the constituent clans: that they were equal partners in the new political arrangement.

That understanding necessarily carried several principles:

* That every constituent clan has an equal stake in Mbaise;

* That the relationship among the clans must be founded on equity, justice and fairness;

* That every clan must respect the dignity and legitimate interests of the others;

* That no clan should seek to dominate, subjugate or permanently deprive another of its rightful share of opportunities; and

* That the benefits of development and political representation should be distributed fairly and equitably.

*THE AHIAZU MBAISE/EZINIHITTE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY: A TEST OF OUR COLLECTIVE COMMITMENT*

The forthcoming January 16, 2027 election for the Ahiazu Mbaise/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency has therefore assumed a significance far beyond an ordinary electoral contest.

At stake, in my view, is whether the principles of equality, mutual respect and rotational political representation that have helped preserve the unity of Mbaise will continue to guide our political relationships.

The Ahiazu Mbaise/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency comprises three of the five clans that founded Mbaise:

* Ekwerazu;

* Ahiara; and

* Ezinihitte.

Similarly, Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area comprises two of the five constituent clans:

* Ekwerazu; and

* Ahiara.

Because our forefathers understood the importance of equality among the constituent clans, political rotation became an important mechanism for maintaining balance and preventing domination by one group over another.

This principle of rotation has, over the years, helped facilitate peaceful transitions in elective offices and has provided each constituent clan with confidence that its turn would not be denied.

*THE EKWERAZU QUESTION*

There is a widely acknowledged understanding among the three constituent clans of the Ahiazu Mbaise/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency that the next representative of the constituency should come from Ekwerazu.

That understanding did not emerge yesterday. It is rooted in the broader philosophy of equitable rotation upon which the Mbaise project was established and was subsequently reaffirmed at various stages of our political development, including in 1998.

The issue before us, therefore, should not be reduced to the personal ambition of any individual or the interest of any political party.

*It is about a fundamental question:*

Can an agreement founded on equality and rotational fairness be respected even when doing so is inconvenient for powerful individuals?

*If the answer is no, then we must ask ourselves what remains of the principles that have held Mbaise together for more than eight decades.*

*WHEN INDIVIDUAL AMBITION THREATENS COLLECTIVE TRUST*

It is deeply troubling that individuals who have themselves benefited from the principles of clan equality and rotational representation could now appear to support actions capable of undermining those same principles.

No individual, regardless of political influence, wealth, connection or ambition, should be allowed to determine unilaterally which constituent clan is entitled to participate in the distribution of political opportunities.

Political offices are not the private property of individuals.

Neither are they the permanent entitlement of any particular clan.

They belong to the people, and the distribution of such opportunities must be guided by the principles of fairness, equity, mutual respect and previously established understandings.

If Ekwerazu has respected the turn of other clans when their time came, there is no legitimate reason why the same principle should not apply when it is Ekwerazu’s turn.

*MBAISE MUST NOT ALLOW POLITICAL DISAGREEMENTS TO DESTROY A SHARED HERITAGE*

This is why the present situation demands the attention of responsible leaders across the five clans.

Mbaise cannot survive if agreements are respected only when they favour one group and discarded when another group becomes entitled to its turn.

We must not allow temporary political interests to destroy permanent relationships.

We must not allow political parties, personal ambitions or the influence of a few individuals to become stronger than the bonds that have held our people together since 1945.

And we must not permit the political process to become an instrument for humiliating, weakening or excluding any constituent clan.

The appropriate response is not violence, hatred or personal attacks.

The appropriate response is collective vigilance, dialogue, political mobilisation and the peaceful defence of the principles of equity upon which Mbaise was founded.

*A CALL TO MBAISE LEADERS*

I therefore call on the traditional rulers, political leaders, professionals, religious leaders, community leaders, youth organisations, women organisations and other stakeholders across the five clans to rise above partisan considerations and address this matter honestly.

Let us return to the wisdom of our founding fathers.

Let us reaffirm that Mbaise belongs equally to all five constituent clans.

Let us reaffirm that no clan should be excluded from political opportunities.

Let us reaffirm that agreements reached in the interest of peace and unity must be respected.

And let us reaffirm that political power must never become a tool for domination.

*EKWERAZU ALSO HAS A RIGHT TO RECONSIDER*

In my considered opinion, Ekwerazu has every legitimate right to ask serious questions about the continued viability of the Mbaise arrangement if the established principle of rotational representation is deliberately abandoned when it is Ekwerazu’s turn.

This is not a threat.

*It is a question of mutual obligation.*

A union survives when its constituent parts believe that they are treated fairly.

If one constituent part is repeatedly asked to honour agreements while others are permitted to disregard them, the foundation of that union will inevitably weaken.

The responsibility, therefore, lies with all of us to ensure that this does not happen.

*THIS IS BIGGER THAN 2027*

The 2027 election will come and go.

Political parties will win and lose elections.

Individuals will occupy offices and eventually leave them.

But Mbaise will remain our common heritage—if we protect it.

That is why the question before the electorate of Ahiazu Mbaise/Ezinihitte is not simply:

“Who should we vote for?”

The more fundamental question is:

“What kind of political relationship do we want among the three constituent clans of this federal constituency, and ultimately among the five clans of Mbaise?”

My position is clear:

The next representative of the Ahiazu Mbaise/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency should come from Ekwerazu in accordance with the principle of equitable rotation.

This position should not depend on political party.

It should also not depend only on the personality of the candidate.

It should not depend on who is powerful or wealthy.

It should depend on one simple principle:

*WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY DUE TO ONE CLAN MUST NOT BE DENIED BECAUSE AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP WANTS TO KEEP OR COVET IT.*

The people of Mbaise must therefore come together, as our forefathers did, and renew the covenant of equality, equity, justice and mutual respect that gave birth to Mbaise.

We must defend our unity without hatred.

We must pursue justice without violence.

We must disagree without destroying our relationships.

And above all, we must ensure that temporary political ambitions do not destroy a heritage that our forefathers deliberately built for all of us.

Mbaise belongs to all five clans.

No clan should dominate another.

No clan should be denied its turn.

And no individual ambition should be allowed to destroy the unity upon which Mbaise was founded.