August 06, (THEWILL) — Political appointees of Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State from the Unwuera extraction of Izzi have demanded an unreserved apology from a social media critic, Cajetan Njoku, who alleged an “unfair and unjust appointment of the Unwuera sons and daughters into political positions”.
They made the call through a press statement issued to journalists on Tuesday in Abakaliki and signed by 59 appointees from Unwuera kindred.
The statement, which was presented by the Executive Chairman of Izzi Local Government Area, Hon Barr. Steve Emenike Nwankpa, title, “UNITED WE SHALL STAND!” was signed by 59 appointees in Nwifuru’s government who are from Unwuera extraction.
Hon Barrister Steve Emenike, who presented the statement on behalf of others, described the allegation by Cajetan Njoku as untrue and unfair, said the Unwuera extraction had found favours in this government, more than at any point in time in the history of politics and governance in this state, courtesy of the magnanimity of His Excellency, Rt. Hon Prince Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
The statement reads: “As prominent and privileged cultural and historical affiliate members of Unwuera, we are now compelled to state our view and position on the publication made by Hon. Cajethan Njoku titled. “ETHNIC CAPTURE IN EBONYI STATE”.
“In the said publication, the author sought to analyse the appointment of His Excellency along kindred lines, and thereafter concluded that appointments were unfair and unjust to Unwuera kindred.
“It is, therefore, on the strength of the above allegation that we seek to make certain clarifications and thereafter state our position.
“However, it is of note that to the best of our knowledge, Unwuera as a kindred does not have an umbrella organisation or structure either to strengthen our bond for political gains or put up a defence against our common adversaries.
“We do not pursue cheap blackmail, we are individuals with capacity and competence to endure hard times, and we find refuge in our individual success rather than collective or organisational success.
“We equally pride ourselves as mean, firm and consistent in holding hands and uniting with our brothers, Igbojima or Unwuera.
“His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Prince Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, has distinguished himself as the unifier and the champion of the unity of the entire Izzi people and deserves an accolade, support, and solidarity right here at home.
“It is certain and true that freedom of expression is the cornerstone of democracy and is protected and guaranteed by our extant law, but right discretion, principles and courtesy must apply to still safeguard our democracy and promote harmonious co-existence of human beings, men and women, young and old. And as individuals, we support those who seek to build on our common heritage of love and unity.
“We, as member affiliates to the much-touted and ballyhooed kindred dichotomy, do not celebrate artificial boundaries of hate now sought to be pushed to our face by this publication.
“We therefore find the personal opinion of our brother very untrue and unfair. It is rather lame both in the realm of logic and reason, and unfair to statistics and mathematics, parochial, self-serving, and it does not represent our view and concern.
“It is on record that a lot of Unwuera extraction has found favour in this government, more than at any point in time in the history of politics and governance in this state, courtesy of the magnanimity of His Excellency, Rt. Hon Prince Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
“Under the present Administration, persons of Unwuera extraction occupy very strategic positions of trust in the Government.
“A quick perusal of some of the positions that come to mind includes, but is not limited to, the under-listed positions, the Occupant and their signatures.
“For emphasis, while we respect divergent opinions in public matters such as this, the people of Unwuera extraction have not elected anyone as their spokesperson or person.
“Therefore, the opinion of Hon. Cajethan Njoku is not the umbrella representation of the feelings and yearnings of Uwuera and, therefore, calls on the writer to own it and tow the line of dignity and respect by retracting the said publication and, in turn, apologise to His Excellency forthwith.
“It is such a shame that at this moment of our glorious historic journey in politics and advancement as a people, trivial issues of no mean consequences, such as this, still find their way into our thinking cap.
“This era must be different, and those who seek to take us back to the era of hate and artificial boundaries of segregation must not earn a bolstering at all costs
He concluded by saying, “We reaffirm our commitment and solidarity of purpose to His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Prince Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, and we hereby ask him to stay on course and not to be distracted in delivering quality leadership to the people of the state and beyond. We also adopt him as our sole candidate for 2nd term in office come 2027”, Emenike declared.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
